Synthesis of Efficient CaO Sorbents for CO2 Capture Using a Simple Organometallic Calcium-Based Carbon Template Route

A facile carbon template method was employed to modify the microstructure of calcined organometallic calcium compounds (i.e., calcium acetate, calcium citrate, and calcium gluconate) for high-temperature CO2 capture. The effects of the decomposition atmosphere, carbon source, and pyrolysis temperature on the physical and chemical properties as well as the cyclic CO2 capture performance were determined using various morphological characterization techniques and detailed thermogravimetric analysis. During pyrolysis in an inert atmosphere, in situ carbon formed from organometallic calcium compounds, which served as a template for controlling the sintering of CaCO3, and the subsequent carbon burnoff in air promoted the fabrication of porous CaO. Among the three organometallic calcium compounds, the pyrolysis process of calcium gluconate exhibited the earliest carbonization and the template with the highest organic carbon content and the slowest decomposition of CaCO3. Therefore, the most favorable structure (i.e., the smallest crystal size, largest specific surface area, and largest pore volume of CaO) was obtained from calcium gluconate, which was responsible for the fastest adsorption rate, highest capacity, and best stability. Moreover, this superior performance was maintained when the pyrolysis temperature was approximately 600–800 °C.