CO2 capture performance and characterization of cellulose aerogels synthesized from old corrugated containers

Old corrugated containers with low recyclability were used as raw materials to synthesize a series of aerogels with varying cellulose concentrations in NaOH/urea solution via a freeze-drying process. The resulting aerogels had a rich porous structure with specific surface areas in the range of 132.72–245.19 m 2 .g −1 and mesopore volumes in the range of 0.73–1.53 cm 3 .g −1 , and were tested for CO 2 sorption at ambient temperature and pressure, displaying excellent CO 2 adsorption capacities in the range of 1.96–11.78 mmol.g −1 . Furthermore, the CO 2 /N 2 selectivity of aerogels decreased with decreasing specific surface area, which was mainly caused by the decrease in CO 2 capture. In addition, the CO 2 sorption capacity of the sample with 2% cellulose content, CA-2, exceeded the values reported so far for many other sorbents with higher specific surface areas, and showed reasonable cyclic stability for CO 2 capture. Therefore, this adsorbent represents an attractive prospect for CO 2 uptake at room temperature .