Valorization Strategies in CO<sub>2</sub> Capture: A New Life for Exhausted Silica-Polyethylenimine

oleh: Irene Coralli, Demetra Giuri, Lorenzo Spada, Jacopo Ortolani, Laura Mazzocchetti, Claudia Tomasini, Lee A. Stevens, Colin E. Snape, Daniele Fabbri

Format: Article
Diterbitkan: MDPI AG 2023-09-01

Deskripsi

The search for alternative ways to give a second life to materials paved the way for detailed investigation into three silica-polyethylenimine (Si-PEI) materials for the purpose of CO<sub>2</sub> adsorption in carbon capture and storage. A solvent extraction procedure was investigated to recover degraded PEIs and silica, and concomitantly, pyrolysis was evaluated to obtain valuable chemicals such as alkylated pyrazines. An array of thermal (TGA, Py-GC-MS), mechanical (rheology), and spectroscopical (ATR-FTIR, <sup>1</sup>H-<sup>13</sup>C-NMR) methods were applied to PEIs extracted with methanol to determine the relevant physico-chemical features of these polymers when subjected to degradation after use in CO<sub>2</sub> capture. Proxies of degradation associated with the plausible formation of urea/carbamate moieties were revealed by Py-GC-MS, NMR, and ATR-FTIR. The yield of alkylpyrazines estimated by Py-GC-MS highlighted the potential of exhausted PEIs as possibly valuable materials in other applications.