Oxamic acid potassium salt as a novel and bifunctional activator for the preparation of N-doped carbonaceous CO2 adsorbents

N-doped porous carbons have shown great potential as CO 2 adsorbents. In the current work, we proposed the use of oxamic acid potassium salt (OAPS) as a novel and bifunctional activator for direct synthesis of N-doped porous carbon. OAPS served as both chemical activator and nitrogen source at the same time. N-doped carbons were prepared from different biomass materials including cellulose , agar, and glucose. The yielded carbons exhibited micropores dominated porous structure . Effects of activation conditions and biomass types on the carbons’ physicochemical properties were thoroughly studied. As a result, the carbons showed high specific surface area (733–2438 m 2 /g) and nitrogen content (1.51–3.92 wt%). The presence of narrow micropores and doped nitrogen qualified OAPS activated carbons as efficient CO 2 adsorbents. These carbons demonstrated high CO 2 uptake of 3.91 mmol/g at 25 °C and 1 bar. Respective effects of narrow micropores and N-doping on CO 2 adsorption were also analyzed and revealed. The current study indicated that OAPS could be used as a very convenient and versatile activator for the preparation of N-doped carbonaceous CO 2 adsorbents.