Human activity since the industrial revolution has led to an increase in the emission of greenhouse gases - such as carbon dioxide, methane, or nitrous oxide - which cause climate change. In 2015, most of the world's countries signed an international treaty, the Paris Agreement, to limit the effects of climate change, notably by cutting their anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions and reaching net zero by 2050. To do so, many changes must occur in the economy, including capturing CO2 from industrial processes to lower their carbon intensity, and producing H2 to support the energy transition. These changes in the economy will require an array of technical solutions, some of which are still to be developed and some already exist but must be improved.

Adsorption-based separation processes applied to industrial gas streams are one option in the design of such technological solutions. Adsorption is a surface process where a molecule or ion (adsorbate/sorbate), present in a gaseous or liquid bulk interacts with the surface of a solid (adsorbent/sorbent. Some sorbates have a stronger affinity to a given sorbent due to their physical or chemical nature. In a mixture of several molecules or ions, a separation process will occur. The sorbate interacting stronger with the sorbate will be removed to a higher extent from the mixture, therefore reducing its concentration in the bulk phase. Examples of separation processes feasible through adsorption to aid achieve our climate goals include: (a) CO2/N2 separation in industrial waste streams, (b) CO2/H2 separation for hydrogen production for the energy transition, or even (c) CO2/N2 separation directly from the air.

This project has two main components. First, the study of adsorption equilibria and kinetics in technical adsorbent pellets used for separation processes. The second component is the characterization of material heterogeneity and how it affects gas diffusion inside the structured bodies. Achieving these objectives will aid in the rational design of new adsorbent with improved adsorption performances.