Activated Porous Carbon with an Ultrahigh Surface Area Derived from Waste Biomass for Acetone Adsorption, CO₂ Capture, and Light Hydrocarbon Separation

A well-developed porous structure and ultrahigh surface area of porous carbons are essential for challenging the gas adsorption. Herein, we synthesized biomass-based porous carbon with a facile and effectively adjustable pore structure. The maximum surface area of activated carbon is up to 3839 m² g^–1, and high micropores and narrow mesopores (1.94 mL g^–1 with d < 3 nm) are obtained. The tailored porous carbons are extensively applied in the energy and environment fields, such as their improved acetone adsorption, CO₂ capture, and light hydrocarbon separation. The porous carbon exhibits record-high acetone (i.e., 26.2 mmol·g^–1 at 18 kPa and 25 °C) and CO₂ uptake (i.e., 29.5 mmol·g^–1 at 30 bar and 25 °C) among reported carbons at relative high pressure. Besides, the UC800 exhibits superior C₂H₆ and C₃H₈ uptake of 7.19 and 12.02 mmol·g^–1, respectively. The C₂H₆/CH₄ and C₃H₈/CH₄ selectivity of the UC800 are up to 9.1–14.6 and 41.8–63.2, respectively. The simple method can open the door to design and develop highly porous carbons with a desired porous structure for the gas adsorption application.