Pore-Controllable\nSynthesis of Phthalic Acid-Derived\nHierarchical Activated Carbon for Dilute CO<sub>2</sub> Capture

Carbon capture and storage (CCS) from dilute sources\nis an important\nstrategy for stabilizing the concentration of atmospheric carbon dioxide\nand global temperature. However, the adsorption process is extremely\nchallenging due to the sluggish diffusion rate of dilute CO<sub>2</sub>. Herein, <i>p</i>-phthalic acid (PTA)-derived hierarchical\nporous activated carbon (PTA-C) with abundant micro- and mesopores\nwas successfully prepared for dilute CO<sub>2</sub> (2 vol %) capture\nat ambient conditions. The optimal PTA-C sample exhibits an improved\nBET surface area and total pore volume of 1012.527 m<sup>2</sup>/g\nand 2.257 cm<sup>3</sup>/g, respectively, which endowed a dilute CO<sub>2</sub> (2 vol %) adsorptive capacity of 0.89 mmol/g at 25 °C\nand atmospheric pressure. The dilute CO<sub>2</sub> adsorptive capacity\nis increased to 2.71 mmol/g under the same conditions on amine-modified\nPTA-C (PTA-NC), which is much higher than that of amine-modified commercial\ncoconut husk AC. In addition, the crude <i>p</i>-phthalic\nacid as feedstocks for production of PTA-C is widely available from\npolyester fabrics, which makes these PTA-C cost-effective for large-scale\nCCS from dilute CO<sub>2</sub> sources in industry.