Geopolymers as solid adsorbent for CO2 capture

Aiming at the reduction of CO2 emissions in the atmosphere, solid adsorbent materials are being of great interest for the development of reliable and efficient carbon capture and sequestration technologies (CCS), following different process schemes. Several adsorbent materials (e.g. zeolites or metal organic frameworks) are thus prepared and the their ability to selectively capture CO2 is investigated. Geopolymers, namely alkali-bonded ceramics [1], were produced by reacting an aluminosilicate powder with an aqueous alkali hydroxide and/or alkali silicate solution. The microstructure of the geopolymer matrix consists nanoprecipitates and mesopores. Geopolymers can be used to develop porous near-net-shape components in the pore size range from nanometres to millimetres and total porosity from 30% up to 90% [2].