Biomass-facilitated production of activated magnesium oxide nanoparticles with extraordinary CO2 capture capacity

Abstract Discovering sustainable materials that can efficiently capture and store CO 2 is a crucial step towards mitigating anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions. The current materials used in post-combustion scenarios have significant drawbacks, including high cost and resulting hazardous byproducts. This study developed a simple and cost-effective method of producing activated MgO nanoparticles that have high CO 2 capture efficiency. To optimize CO 2 capture, we incorporate biomass during the production to ensure complete and dispersed MgO nanoparticle formation from the decomposition of MgCl 2 hydrate. Materials are characterized by SEM, XRD, BET/DFT, ICP, and TGA analysis. Resulting carbon-supported activated MgO nanoparticles efficiently captured CO 2 at low temperature, by physisorption and magnesium carbonate formation. Without the incorporation of biomass, MgCl 2 hydrate decomposed via low temperature pyrolysis, is still capable of CO 2 capture; however, the efficiency is enhanced with the addition of biomass, as this helps support the formation and distribution of MgO nanoparticles. The carbon-supported MgO nanoparticles produced with a 5:2.5 (w/w MgCl 2 :biomass) ratio was capable of greatest CO 2 capture capacity on both a g −1 material (up to 235 mg g −1 ) and g −1 magnesium (733 mg g −1 ) basis after 3 h. The carbon-supported MgO nanoparticles have potential to be applied in inexpensive large-scale CO 2 capture, as the production can be adjusted based on capacity, resource, or energy constraints.