Low-energy CO₂ sequestration via palm waste biochar activated with carbide lime for mineral carbonation of industrial wastes
Maisa El Gamal, Ameera F. Mohammad, Basim Abu-Jdayil, Imen Ben Salem, Suhaib Hameedi
Abstract. A sustainable method for enhancing CO₂ capture and sequestration was developed by accelerating the carbonation of alkaline industrial wastes using carbide lime-activated biochar (BC(CLW)), an alkaline by-product of acetylene production. The biochar was produced from palm tree waste through slow pyrolysis at 400 °C, followed by activation with carbide lime slurry to enhance its alkalinity, surface basic sites, and reactivity toward CO₂. Three industrial residues, namely ladle furnace slag (LF), baghouse dust (BH), and cyclone silo dust (CD), were blended with 0, 5, 7, and 10 wt. % BC(CLW) and carbonated under ambient conditions. Characterization by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) demonstrated that BC(CLW) substantially increased carbonate formation. TGA revealed 30 to 50 percent higher weight losses in the 400 to 850 °C range for BC(CLW) treated mixtures, corresponding to enhanced CO₂ mineralization. FTIR spectra showed intensified carbonate absorption bands, particularly in BH/BC(CLW), while SEM confirmed greater microporosity and enlarged mesopores, providing additional active sites for CO₂ adsorption and reaction. Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) surface area analysis further verified a substantial increase in specific surface area and pore volume following carbide lime activation, offering quantitative evidence for the surface-area-driven enhancement in CO₂ adsorption and mineral carbonation performance. Among the tested samples, BH demonstrated the highest CO₂ capture efficiency, achieving a carbonation degree of 62% following BC(CLW) activation. This result confirms BH as the top-performing material in the study, surpassing all other tested samples in sequestration capacity. This approach integrates waste valorization with climate change mitigation, offering a scalable, low-energy pathway for permanent CO₂ storage through mineral carbonation of multiple industrial by-products.
Keywords
Carbide Lime, Activated Biochar, Alkaline Industrial Waste, CO₂ Sequestration, Accelerated Carbonation, Thermogravimetric Analysis, Fourier-Transform Infrared Spectroscopy, Scanning Electron Microscopy
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: Maisa El Gamal, Ameera F. Mohammad, Basim Abu-Jdayil, Imen Ben Salem, Suhaib Hameedi, Low-energy CO₂ sequestration via palm waste biochar activated with carbide lime for mineral carbonation of industrial wastes, Materials Research Proceedings, Vol. 67, pp 172-179, 2026
DOI: https://doi.org/10.21741/9781644904176-24
The article was published as article 24 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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