Food waste and livestock manure to be used in the large-scale production of high-efficiency CO2 adsorbents
Teams of Professors Ki Bong Lee and Yong Sik Ok developed an upcycling process of producing high-efficiency CO2 adsorbents through gasification of waste resources
Four papers published consecutively in the most prestigious journals in the field of environmental energy such as Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews

▲ Pavani Dulanja Dissanayake (Ph.D. student, first author), Seung Wan Choi (Ph.D. student, first author), 

Professor Ki Bong Lee (corresponding author), Professor Yong Sik Ok (corresponding author)

A team led by Professor Ki Bong Lee of Korea University and another led by Professor Yong Sik Ok of the University’s Division of Environmental Science and Ecological Engineering established a system where biochar, which is a carbon-based new material produced through gasification of waste resources such as food waste and livestock manure, can be used in the large-scale production of high-efficiency CO2 adsorbents after being physiochemically activated.

Biochar is a high carbon material obtained from pyrolysis of biomass and waste resources, which is similar to soil organic matter in its form. It is a new material that can be used in reducing climate change, waste management, environment purification, and energy production. In the study, the performance of biochars produced in the process of gasification of chicken manure and wood chips as a high-efficiency CO2 adsorbent was evaluated after their surface area and porosity were maximized through potassium hydroxide (KOH) and CO2 activation.

The results of the study showed that KOH modification sharply increased the surface area and microporosity of biochars, which resulted in a significant enhancement of their CO2 adsorption capacities (see figure below). The newly developed biochar adsorbents showed considerable selectivity for CO2 over nitrogen gas (N2), and when assessed for cyclic stability over CO2 adsorption-desorption cycles, they maintained more than 99% of their initial adsorption capacities over 10 consecutive cycles, indicating that they can be reused over a long period of time.

▲ Comparative evaluation of the CO2 adsorption performance of biochars produced with wood chips and chicken manure

It is exceptional to have the findings of a study intended as an experimental paper to be published in Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews (RSER, IF: 12.110). The latest review paper on the theoretical background of the study, written by the same lead authors, as well as the study published in RSER were both selected as a “Hanbitsa” distinguished paper by the Biological Research Information Center (BRIC). The commercial potential of the relevant technology is deemed high considering not only that the technology will be patented under the title “CO2 Adsorbents using Biochars and Their Manufacturing Methods” (application number: 10-2020-0066045) but also additional patents are being filed on other relevant process technologies.

[Article 1]
* Title: Sustainable gasification biochar as a high efficiency adsorbent for CO2 capture: A facile method to designer biochar fabrication
* Authors: Pavani Dulanja Dissanayake, Seung Wan Choi, Avanthi Deshani Igalavithana, Xiao Yang, Daniel C.W. Tsang, Chi-Hwa Wang, Harn Wei Kua, Ki Bong Lee**, Yong Sik Ok*
* Journal: Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews (2019 IF 12.110, Top No. 1 in Green & Sustainable Science & Technology, CiteScore: 25.5)
Selected BRIC “Hanbitsa”, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rser.2020.109785

[Article 2]
Title: Biochar-based adsorbents for carbon dioxide capture: A critical review
Authors: Pavani Dulanja Dissanayake, Siming You, Avanthi Deshani Igalavithana, Yinfeng Xia, Amit Bhatnagar, Souradeep Gupta, Harn Wei Kua, Sumin Kim, Jung-Hwan Kwon, Daniel C.W. Tsang**, Yong Sik Ok*
Journal: Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews (2019 IF 12.110, Top No. 1 in Green & Sustainable Science & Technology, CiteScore: 25.5)
Selected BRIC “Hanbitsa”, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rser.2019.109582

In addition, two other papers were published in top-ranked journals in the area of environmental energy such as the Journal of Hazardous Materials and Science of the Total Environment.

The processes and mechanisms applied for the evaluation of the CO2 adsorption capacity of biochars used in the study are illustrated in detail in the diagrams and figures below.