Synthesis, Characterization, and Biogas Storage Performance of CO2-Doped Petung Bamboo Activated Carbon

Abstract

The declining availability of fossil fuels requires the exploration of alternative renewable energy sources, such as biogas. The primary challenge associated with biogas utilization is storage. Traditional methods, such as compressed natural gas (CNG) and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), require high pressures and very low temperatures, respectively,  which reduce their overall efficiency. However, adsorbed natural gas (ANG) technology offers a better storage solution at low pressures by using adsorbent materials, including activated carbon. According to the results, there is limited research on using bamboo as a raw material for activated carbon in biogas storage. There is also limited information about how carbonization temperature affects pore structure, functional groups, and storage performance. Therefore, this research focuses on producing activated carbon from petung bamboo, characterizing the properties, and testing the effectiveness for biogas storage. Activated carbon is produced by carbonizing the bamboo at a temperature of 600 to 750 °C and activating it using CO₂. The results show that carbonization temperature influences pore structure, functional groups, and biogas storage capacity. Activated carbon carbonized at 750 °C (AC-750) shows the best performance based on proximate analysis, pore distribution, surface area, pore volume, and biogas adsorption capacity. AC-750 contains a strong C=C aromatic functional group and has a pore distribution that includes micro, meso, and macro pores. It has a surface area of 192.8 m²/g, pore volume of 0.39 cc/g, and can store biogas up to 1.0 g/g at a pressure of 100 psi. Biogas release efficiency reached 92.9%, highlighting the potential of activated carbon made from petung bamboo for ANG applications. This result is significant as it highlights the potential of using abundant biomass resources as eco-friendly energy storage materials, thereby supporting sustainable energy security and facilitating the transition toward renewable energy.

HIGHLIGHTS

• Increasing the temperature from 600 to 750 °C changes the structure and functional group of activated carbon.
• The surface area and pore volume both increase as the carbonization temperature rises.
• Activated carbon carbonized at 750 °C (AC-750) has expanded pore distribution, high surface area, and the largest cumulative pore volume.
• AC-750 is the best choice for biogas storage with the highest biogas storage capacity (1.011 g/g) and release (0.940 g/g) based on the gravimetric method.

GRAPHICAL ABSTRACT