Bio-based Micro-/Meso-/Macroporous Hybrid Foams with Ultrahigh Zeolite Loadings for Selective Capture of Carbon Dioxide

Microporous (<2 nm) crystalline aluminosilicates in the form of zeolites offer a great potential as efficient adsorbents for atmospheric CO₂ in the eminent battle against global warming and climate change. The processability of conventional zeolite powders is, however, poor, which limits their implementation in many applications, such as in gas filtration industrial systems. In this work, we overcome this issue through the preparation of hybrid foams using mesoporous/macroporous supporting materials based on the strong network properties of gelatin/nanocellulose, which can support ultrahigh loadings of silicalite-1, used as a model sorbent nanomaterial. We achieved up to 90 wt % of zeolite content and a microporous/mesoporous/macroporous hybrid material. The application of hybrid foams for selective CO₂ sorption exhibits a linear relationship between the zeolite content and CO₂ adsorption capacity and high selectivity over N₂, where the gelatin/nanocellulose foam efficiently supports the zeolite crystals without apparently blocking their pores.