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Advances and Challenges in Carbon Capture, Utilisation and Storage

A special issue of Applied Sciences (ISSN 2076-3417). This special issue belongs to the section "Energy Science and Technology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 November 2025 | Viewed by 3944

Special Issue Editor


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Guest Editor
National Research Council, Institute of Sciences and Technologies for Sustainable Energy and Mobility (CNR-STEMS), P. le V. Tecchio 80, 80125 Napoli, Italy
Interests: CO2 capture; materials

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions have significantly increased, attracting the attention of the scientific community because these emissions are the main cause of the greenhouse effect. The rise in the CO2 concentration in the atmosphere is due to many causes such as highly energetic industries and deforestation. For example, the power and steel industries are largely sustained by fossil fuels in the chemical sector. The steel industry alone is responsible for ~7% of the total CO2 emissions because of the wide use of fossil fuels.

Despite the increasing proportion of renewable energy used for power generation and the acceleration towards reducing gas as a combustible in the steel industry, the International Energy Agency (IEA) reports that currently more than 80% of the world’s energy is still based on fossil fuel combustion, and in a mid-term framework, all large scale/industrial plants should employ some type of equipment in order to reduce CO2 emissions. For this reason, a range of energy companies are developing and testing strategies of carbon capture and sequestration (CCS). This Special Issue aims to present and disseminate research that increases our understanding and knowledge of advances and challenges in carbon capture, utilisation and storage.

Dr. Antonio Fabozzi
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • materials for CO2 capture, utilization, storage
  • adsorption/desorption enhanced
  • CO2 emission reduction 

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Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

17 pages, 4844 KiB  
Article
The Influence of Mineral Matter on X-Ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy Characterization of Surface Oxides on Carbon
by Francesca Cerciello, Annunziata Forgione, Paolo Lacovig, Silvano Lizzit, Antonio Fabozzi, Piero Salatino and Osvalda Senneca
Appl. Sci. 2025, 15(6), 2993; https://doi.org/10.3390/app15062993 - 10 Mar 2025
Viewed by 450
Abstract
The chemical structure of coal is very composite, consisting of a heterogeneous carbonaceous matrix with variable degrees of “turbostratic” order and the inclusion and/or exclusion of mineral matter (ash). The formation of surface oxides on carbon has long been recognized as a key [...] Read more.
The chemical structure of coal is very composite, consisting of a heterogeneous carbonaceous matrix with variable degrees of “turbostratic” order and the inclusion and/or exclusion of mineral matter (ash). The formation of surface oxides on carbon has long been recognized as a key to understanding many chemical and physical properties of carbon materials relevant to their consolidated or emerging applications. The extent and nature of surface oxides can effectively be assessed by high-resolution X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), which provides excellent insight into the functional nature of C-O moieties. However, the XPS analysis of ash-bearing carbons may be biased by the interfering effects of inorganics with the most relevant spectral ranges, namely the core levels O1s and C1s. The effect of ash components on the spectroscopic characterization of carbon is scrutinized here with reference to a sub-bituminous coal characterized by a fairly large ash content. The coal is subjected to different treatments, including devolatilization, milling, and oxidation. A synthetic carbon (Carboxen) is used as a reference sample for the correct assignment of the carbon–oxygen functionalities in the core-level XPS spectra (C1s and O1s) in the absence of mineral matter. On the opposite side, fly ash from an industrial coal boiler is analyzed to investigate the effects of mineral matter. It is shown that the establishment of non-uniform charging of the sample induced by ash provides a key to the interpretation of the XPS spectra of ash-bearing carbon samples. The positive charge on the surface, referred to as the charging effect, brings about a shift of the core-level binding energies towards higher values. Grinding of the samples or partial combustion emphasizes the charging effect. XPS analysis of the fly ash, where carbon is largely consumed and dispersed in the inorganic matter, confirms that charging arises from non-conductive aluminosilicates. These effects may induce remarkable changes in carbon and oxygen peak shapes and need to be accounted for to obtain correct interpretations of the XPS spectra of ash-rich carbonaceous fuels. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances and Challenges in Carbon Capture, Utilisation and Storage)
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17 pages, 2376 KiB  
Article
Calcium-Rich Biochar Derived from Cactus Feedstock and Its Efficient Adsorption Properties for Industrial Dye
by Assia Maaoui, Raouia Chagtmi, Barbara Apicella, Francesca Cerciello, Osvalda Senneca and Aida Ben Hassen Trabelsi
Appl. Sci. 2025, 15(2), 894; https://doi.org/10.3390/app15020894 - 17 Jan 2025
Viewed by 655
Abstract
The leather industries are large producers of industrial wastewater. The present work investigated the performance of calcium-rich biochar derived from cactus cladodes (CCB) as an adsorbent in the treatment of this wastewater. Biochar samples (CCB500, CCB600, and CCB700) were produced by slow pyrolysis [...] Read more.
The leather industries are large producers of industrial wastewater. The present work investigated the performance of calcium-rich biochar derived from cactus cladodes (CCB) as an adsorbent in the treatment of this wastewater. Biochar samples (CCB500, CCB600, and CCB700) were produced by slow pyrolysis at 500, 600, and 700 °C and tested as adsorbents of Repanil Blue (RB) dye. The tests were carried out under various experimental conditions. The RB dye removal increased with the contact time, adsorbent dose, and concentration. With dye concentrations between 10 and 125 mg/L, removal efficiencies of 80, 80 and 100% were reached using CCB500, CCB600, and CCB700, respectively. The Langmuir model and the pseudo-second-order model described chemisorption with a high correlation factor (R2). The highest adsorption capacity of 56 mg/g was obtained with CCB700 within 5 min. The results strongly suggest that calcium-rich biochars are promising adsorbents for the removal of RB dye from aqueous solutions. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances and Challenges in Carbon Capture, Utilisation and Storage)
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15 pages, 3678 KiB  
Article
A Study of the Influence of Synthesis Parameters on the Preparation of High Performance SSZ-13 Membranes
by Alireza Taherizadeh, Adrian Simon, Hannes Richter, Michael Stelter and Ingolf Voigt
Appl. Sci. 2024, 14(17), 7836; https://doi.org/10.3390/app14177836 - 4 Sep 2024
Viewed by 1024
Abstract
This study investigated the effect of different synthesis parameters including pre- and post-hydrothermal treatment on the formation of a high-quality SSZ-13 membrane layer. The membranes were identified initially by the gas tightness test, then were characterized by single gas permeation measurements applying H [...] Read more.
This study investigated the effect of different synthesis parameters including pre- and post-hydrothermal treatment on the formation of a high-quality SSZ-13 membrane layer. The membranes were identified initially by the gas tightness test, then were characterized by single gas permeation measurements applying H2, He, CO2, N2, CH4, and SF6 at room temperature. The results showed how each parameter affects the performance of the membrane, including structural defects in the formed selective layer, CO2 permeance, and the ideal CO2/CH4 permselectivity. This work focused on optimizing these parameters. An ideal CO2/CH4 permselectivity of up to 122 with CO2 permeance of ~3.72 × 10−6 [mol/(m2sPa)] and CO2/CH4 selectivity of 111 with CO2 permeance of 8.5 × 10−7 [mol/(m2sPa)] in an equimolar mixture at room temperature and pressure drop of 0.15 MPa was achieved. This is one of the highest performances compared to other publications for SSZ-13 or all-Si membranes. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances and Challenges in Carbon Capture, Utilisation and Storage)
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16 pages, 3948 KiB  
Article
Multiscale Dynamic Diffusion Model for Ions in Micro- and Nano-Porous Structures of Fly Ash: Mineralization Experimental Research
by Weijie Guo, Binwei Xia and Jiansong Peng
Appl. Sci. 2024, 14(13), 5414; https://doi.org/10.3390/app14135414 - 21 Jun 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1171
Abstract
The leaching concentration of alkaline ions plays a crucial role in the efficiency of the CO2 mineralization reaction in fly ash. The multi-scale structural characteristics of micro–nano pores in fly ash are the primary factors that control the leaching and diffusion rate [...] Read more.
The leaching concentration of alkaline ions plays a crucial role in the efficiency of the CO2 mineralization reaction in fly ash. The multi-scale structural characteristics of micro–nano pores in fly ash are the primary factors that control the leaching and diffusion rate of alkaline ions. However, the existing theoretical models do not account for the multi-scale pore structure, leading to challenges in accurately describing the ion diffusion in fly ash and predicting the reaction rate and efficiency of CO2 mineralization. To address this issue, a multi-scale dynamic diffusion model of ions was developed based on the micro–nano pore structure of fly ash. This model established the relationship between the ionic leaching rate and pore structure, as well as macroscopic changes over time, which were validated through experiments. Mineralization experiments with varying soaking times and uniaxial compression experiments on mineralized specimens were conducted to investigate the relationships among soaking time, ion leaching concentration, mineralization degree, and mechanical strength. The results elucidated the impact of alkaline ion concentration on the mineralization degree and mechanical strength of fly ash materials, offering theoretical insights to enhance mineralization and material properties. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances and Challenges in Carbon Capture, Utilisation and Storage)
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