Influence of the raw material and nickel oxide on the CH4 capture capacity behaviors of microporous carbon

•Three different sets of microporous carbon as produced of different raw material.•Comparison of CH4 sorption isotherms for different porous carbon.•Both type of raw material and the condition of activation had a huge influence on CH4 capture capacities.•Addition of nickel oxide is not always improved the adsorbed methane amount.

Three different sets of microporous carbon were produced at various activation temperatures: the first set was prepared from lignocellulosic material, the second set was prepared by mixing pyrogallol with formaldehyde (PF), and the third set was prepared by incorporation of nickel oxide in PF (PF/Ni). The objective of this work is to compare pure CH4 sorption isotherms for well-characterized the three sets of porous carbon prepared by different methods to determine the most suitable porous carbon for CH4 storage. Methane adsorption on several microporous carbon has been investigated using a manometric adsorption method. The experiments were carried out using CH4 pure gas at 298 K from 1 to 30 bar. The effect of the preparatory condition on the properties, textures, and adsorption gas of the prepared samples has been analyzed. The samples were characterized by adsorption of N2 (77 K), scanning electron microscope (SEM) and transmission electron microscope (TEM). It was found that both the type of raw material and the conditions of activation (activation temperatures), had a huge influence on the microporosity of the resultants samples and their CH4 capture capacities. The sample that presented the maximum CH4 capture capacities at 298 K, was prepared from PF and was activated at 1000 °C. This sample showed the highest narrow microporosity volume (0.46 cm3/g) and greater affinity for methane, thus confirming that only pores of the less than 1 nm are effective for CH4 adsorption. The result shows that the addition of nickel oxide is not improved the adsorbed methane amount.

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