The mitigation of greenhouse gas emissions increasingly relies on advanced adsorption materials capable of capturing and releasing hydrocarbons efficiently under repeated operating cycles. Porous carbons are widely used in gas separation, emission control, and recovery systems due to their high surface area and chemical stability. However, conventional activated carbons are often produced from high-quality precursors through chemical activation routes that involve corrosive reagents, generate wastewater, and increase overall production costs.
In a study published in Journal of Bioresources and Bioproducts, waste chitinous biomass is presented as a sustainable and scalable precursor for porous carbon production. Chitin, a nitrogen-containing polysaccharide abundant in crustacean shells and insect exoskeletons, is generated in large quantities as a by-product of food processing and the rapidly expanding insect-farming industry. Rather than converting chitin into chitosan through costly chemical treatments, the reported work directly upcycles chitin into functional porous carbons.
The researchers employed a two-step process consisting of carbonization followed by steam activation, using only nitrogen and water vapor. This chemical-free approach eliminates post-treatment washing and avoids secondary waste generation. By varying the activation time between 10 and 60 minutes, the pore structure of the resulting chitin-derived porous carbons could be precisely tuned. The materials exhibited specific surface areas ranging from 720 to 1,350 m2 g-1 and developed a hierarchical pore network combining micropores and mesopores.
Detailed structural analysis revealed that micropores in the range of 1–3 nm were primarily formed during the early stages of activation through oxidation of amorphous carbon domains, while mesopores of 3–5 nm developed progressively due to edge-site oxidation of carbon crystallites. This controlled pore evolution proved critical for gas recovery performance. n-Butane adsorption capacity increased steadily with activation time, reaching a maximum adsorption activity of 43.6%, while residual adsorption decreased, indicating improved desorption efficiency.
Importantly, the study established a clear correlation between pore size distribution and gas recovery behavior. Adsorption capacity was strongly associated with micropores of 1–3 nm, whereas desorption efficiency depended on the presence of larger mesopores. This structure–performance relationship provides mechanistic guidance for designing porous carbons optimized for cyclic adsorption–desorption processes, such as those used in evaporative emission control systems.
When benchmarked against biomass-derived and commercial activated carbons, the chitin-based porous carbons demonstrated competitive butane working capacity despite being produced through a simpler and more environmentally benign route. The authors note that further optimization through pelletization and mechanical strengthening could enhance their suitability for industrial applications.
Beyond performance metrics, the work highlights the sustainability advantages of combining abundant waste biomass with a scalable activation process compatible with existing industrial furnaces. By minimizing chemical inputs and utilizing underexploited bioresources, the reported strategy offers a practical pathway toward low-carbon, circular production of advanced adsorbent materials.
See the article:
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jobab.2026.100236
Original Source URL
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2369969826000083
Journal
Journal of Bioresources and Bioproducts
Experimental study
Not applicable
Greenhouse Gas Recovery Performance of Chitin-Derived Porous Carbons from Waste Chitinous Biomass
30-Jan-2026