Abstract
The need to find alternative materials to replace aqueous amine solutions for the capture of CO(2) in post-combustion technologies is pressing. This study assesses the CO(2) sorption capacity and CO(2)/N(2) selectivity of three dicationic ionic liquids with distinct anions immobilized in commercial mesoporous silica support (SBA- 15). The samples were characterized by UART-FTIR, NMR, Raman, FESEM, TEM, TGA, Magnetometry (VSM), BET and BJH. The highest CO(2) sorption capacity and CO(2)/N(2) selectivity were obtained for sample SBA@DIL_2FeCl(4) [at 1 bar and 25 °C; 57.31 (±0.02) mg CO(2)/g; 12.27 (±0.72) mg CO(2)/g]. The results were compared to pristine SBA-15 and revealed a similar sorption capacity, indicating that the IL has no impact on the CO(2) sorption capacity of silica. On the other hand, selectivity was improved by approximately 3.8 times, demonstrating the affinity of the ionic liquid for the CO(2) molecule. The material underwent multiple sorption/desorption cycles and proved to be stable and a promising option for use in industrial CO(2) capture processes.