Bio-based CO₂ adsorbent from puffed rice waste: Optimization and experimental evaluation
Abeer DAR SALEH, Maatouk KHOUKHI, Ameera MOHAMMAD, Ali AL MARZOUQI
Abstract. The urgent need for effective carbon dioxide (CO₂) capture strategies extends beyond industrial emissions to enclosed built environments, where elevated CO₂ concentrations impair occupant health, cognitive function, and overall productivity. This research introduces a bio-based adsorbent derived from thermally puffed and chemically modified waste rice, designed for high-performance indoor CO₂ capture. The material was evaluated in a custom-built 1 × 1 × 1 m controlled environmental chamber simulating classroom conditions, under systematically varied parameters of temperature (20–30 °C), relative humidity (45–65%), and surface coverage (35–55%). Using Response Surface Methodology (RSM), the study optimized these parameters to achieve a reduction of over 300 ppm within four hours, corresponding to a CO₂ removal rate of 79.25 ppm·h⁻¹ and a first-order kinetic rate constant of 0.0952 h⁻¹. The optimized model demonstrated strong predictive power (R² > 0.98) for both removal efficiency and kinetic behavior. The adsorbent exhibited a competitive uptake capacity of ~4.6 mmol·g⁻¹ at a low activation temperature (~260 °C), enabling low-energy regeneration cycles. Beyond its adsorption performance, the material’s lightweight structure and ease of integration into building interiors allow passive, scalable deployment without modification to existing HVAC systems. This positions the technology as a dual-impact solution advancing CCU goals through renewable, low-cost sorbents while supporting sustainable building innovations that improve indoor air quality in educational and commercial spaces.
Keywords
CO₂ Capture, Bio-Based Adsorbent, Agricultural Waste Valorization, Indoor Air Quality, Response Surface Methodology, Low-Energy Regeneration, Sustainable Buildings
Published online 6/20/2026, 8 pages
Copyright © 2026 by the author(s)
Published under license by Materials Research Forum LLC., Millersville PA, USA
Citation: Abeer DAR SALEH, Maatouk KHOUKHI, Ameera MOHAMMAD, Ali AL MARZOUQI, Bio-based CO₂ adsorbent from puffed rice waste: Optimization and experimental evaluation, Materials Research Proceedings, Vol. 67, pp 156-163, 2026
DOI: https://doi.org/10.21741/9781644904176-22
The article was published as article 22 of the book Climate Action and Sustainability
Content from this work may be used under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 license. Any further distribution of this work must maintain attribution to the author(s) and the title of the work, journal citation and DOI.
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