Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman

CHARACTERIZATION AND SYNTHESIS OF BIOMASS DERIVED ACTIVATED

CARBONACEOUS MATERIAL (BIOCHAR) FOR CARBON DIOXIDE (CO2)
ADSORPTION
Jonathan Ong Jun Horng , Dr Lee Zhi Hua

introduction
This study addresses the urgent global challenge of mitigating carbon dioxide (CO2)
emissions through an investigation into the potential of biochar, a biomass-derived
adsorbent, for cost- efficient and sustainable CO2 capture. However, two
critical challenges persist: firstly, high metal loadings in the magnesium
incorporation method may limit the physisorption capacity, potentially hindering
overall CO2 capture efficiency. Secondly, raw biochar remains challenging to
generate acceptable adsorption capacity for large industrial-scale deployment.
A novel metal incorporation technique such that magnesium metal incorporation
on alkaline pre-treatment biochar (Mg-KOH biochar) can be a potential
candidate to replace metal-impregnated and raw biochar in CO2 removal. Further Figure 2. Potential mechanism of CO2 physisorption
Figure 1. Circular Econo of Biochar
studies must be done to discover the full potential of Mg-KOH biochar since the my Cycle of Biochar

knowledge of using it in removing CO2 is still limited.

result and discussion
Surface Morphology (SEM):
objective (a) (b) (c) (d)
1. To characterise the metal-incorporated alkaline pre-treated biochar (Mg-KOH
biochar), metal-incorporated biochar (Mg-biochar), alkaline biochar (KOH-
biochar), and raw biochar using FTIR, SEM-EDX and XRD.
2. To compare the characteristics of the metal-incorporated alkaline pre- Figure 3. (a) Raw biochar; (b) KOH biochar; (c) Mg biochar; (d) Mg-KOH biochar
The raw biochar (a) shown irregular and porous structure. Facilitates the effectiveness of char for CO2 adsorption.
treated biochar (Mg-KOH biochar), metal-incorporated biochar (Mg-biochar), Less dense morphologies and rough surface with porous structures were found on KOH biochar (b).
alkaline biochar (KOH-biochar), and raw biochar for their capability in CO2 For Mg biochar (c) , Mg metals were distributed on the surface of the biochar which evenly increase the surface area
of biochar as CO2 adsorbent. Hence, larger surface area means there are more sites for CO2 interaction. However,
adsorption.
Mg metal found clogging on the pores of biochar which might reduce the physisorption capacity of Mg biochar.
More pores with larger volume were found due to destruction and deformation of lignocellulosic structure of Mg-KOH
biochar (d).
Structural Arrangement (XRD):
methodology Two peak observed at 2theta around 23° and 43°, corresponded to
the diffraction of graphite carbon (002) and (100) respectively.
Sawdust (002) (100)
“High and narrow” peak found in Mg-KOH biochar indicates better
orientation of the aromatic layer in the microcrystalline structure.
1 pyrolysis Peak intensity of KOH biochar was reduced significantly. Due to the
500℃, 30min KOH activation destroys the atomic arrangement at high temperature.
Amorphous peak intensity decrease after raw biochar loading with
Mg, KOH and Mg-KOH were transformed into a crystalline structure.

Figure 4. XRD analysis

Raw Biochar Raw Biochar KOH-Biochar Functional groups (FTIR):
First band positioned between 3500 and 3200 cm-1 was assigned to O-H (a)

stretching vibrations --> Surface hydroxyl groups of water molecules or moistures. (b)

2 Wet impregnation
KOH
1:1 Solid to Solution Ratio
1:20 Solid to Solution Ratio
(c)
Raw Mg and Mg-KOH biochar showed high intensity in the range 1000–1500 cm-1,
(d)
indicating carboxylic groups, and a sharp peak at 1577 cm-1 can be associated
with quinine groups, which may decrease the CO2 adsorption capacity.
Hence, it was deduced that Mg-KOH biochar might have greater CO2
adsorption compared to others samples.
No peak found at wavelength of 1600cm-1 for KOH (b) biochar indicating
Mg(NO₃)₂ * 6 H₂O Mg(NO₃)₂ * 6 H₂O
absence of carboxyl groups.
1:20 Solid to Solution Ratio

Figure 5. FTIR spectra (a) Mg-KOH biochar, (b) KOH biochar, (c) Mg biochar, (d) raw
3 Stirring Surface Elements (SEM-EDX): biochar

300 rpm, 1hr (a)

4 filtration until neutralise
5 110℃, 8h
Drying
6 calcination
N2 flow, 850℃, 10℃/min, 2h
KOH-Biochar
N2 flow, 500℃, 10℃/min, 15min
Mg-Biochar
7 characterisation testing
SEM-EDX, FTIR, XRD
Distilled Water (c)
Raw, Mg and KOH biochar samples contain high carbon contents
which are between 74.43% to 88.39%. Due to biomass subjected to
pyrolysis is converted to biochar with High Fixed Carbon content
and High Stability.
Mg (b) and KOH (c) activation are involves the reaction of C, Mg and
K content.
(b) (d)
Further prove Mg-KOH biochar XRD’s result. High Temperature
calcination give rise to calcium carbonate crystalline structures on
biochar.
High surface coverage of CaCO3 particles on biochar resulted in
lower C presence on surface.
Figure 6. (a) Raw biochar; (b) KOH biochar; (c) Mg biochar; (d) Mg-KOH biochar
N2 flow, 500℃, 10℃/min, 15min
Mg-KOH Biochar conclusion
In conclusion, optimization of Mg-KOH biochar for CO2 adsorption relies on the careful analysis of its structural and chemical
properties using FTIR, XRD, and EDX techniques. FTIR reveals the absence of quinine groups crucial for CO2 adsorption
capacity, while XRD provides insight of its better crystalline structure. EDX elucidates elemental compositions affecting
surface reactivity. By leveraging these analyses, Mg-KOH biochar can be tailored to maximize CO2 capture efficiency,
offering a promising avenue for combating climate change through enhanced adsorption performance and contributing to
sustainable environmental practices.
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