Textural properties determined CO2 capture of tetraethylenepentamine loaded SiO2 nanowires from α-sepiolite

To understand the effect of porous parameters and chemical components on CO 2 capturing performance of solid state amine absorbents and their kinetic parameters, a clay mineral-based CO 2 absorbent was prepared by impregnating five different liquid amines onto SiO 2 nanowire clusters from fibrous sepiolite (Sep). Characterization was conducted by XRD, SEM, FTIR, and N 2 adsorption–desorption isotherm, CO 2 adsorption performances were measured by TGA. After acid treatment, the raw Sep mineral changed into amorphous silica nanowires, and the largest S BET of the obtained SiO 2 nanowires reached 320 m 2 /g, which was 8 times larger than the pristine mineral. Amongst the adapted amines, tetraethylenepentamine (TEPA) showed superiority in the CO 2 adsorption capacity. The optimized adsorption capacity reached 3.7 mmol/g at 75 °C from a CO 2  + N 2 mixture on a ∼50 wt% TEPA loaded SiO 2 sample, and the capacity remained 3.6 mmol/g after ten circles of adsorption/desorption tests. The pore size and pore structure of the matrix, rather than the surface area, will obviously affect the adsorption ability of the product. Kinetic parameters for the CO 2 adsorption process fitted well with a fractional-order model, confirming that the CO 2 adsorption process by the solid absorbent should be a combination of both physical and chemical reactions. Results in this article provide detailed parameters for preparing and understanding these clay mineral based solid state CO 2 absorbents.