Amine-Functionalized Cellulose-Chitosan Composites as an Efficient Adsorbent for CO 2 Capture

This research explores the synthesis and evaluation of amine-functionalized cellulose-chitosan composites for efficient CO2 capture. The composites were synthesized by incorporating tetraethylenepentamine (TEPA) onto cellulose, followed by blending with chitosan. The resulting materials were characterized using FTIR, XRD, BET analysis, and FESEM, confirming successful functionalization and mesoporous structure. Optimization experiments revealed that an amine loading of 15 wt% TEPA provided the highest adsorption efficiency. Additionally, a 3:1 ratio of Ce-TEPA15% to chitosan yielded maximum CO2 uptake, benefiting from enhanced interactions provided by chitosan functional groups. The optimized Ce3-TEPA15%/Cs1 composite demonstrated superior performance, achieving a maximum CO2 adsorption capacity of 358.44 mg g-1 at 9 bar. The adsorption behavior was modeled using both Freundlich and fractional-order models, indicating favorable adsorption conditions. Additionally, the composites demonstrated excellent recyclability, maintaining 92% of their initial adsorption capacity after ten cycles. These results highlight the potential of amine-functionalized cellulose-chitosan composites as sustainable, high-performance materials for CO2 sequestration. Future research should focus on scaling up these composites for industrial CO2 capture applications.