Comparative insights into pyrolysis and co-pyrolysis pathways: A review of tailored carbonaceous adsorbents for CO₂ capture and waste valorization
Haif ALJOMARD, Chaouki GHENAI, Abrar INAYAT, Farrukh JAMIL, Mohamed DAFALLA, Nazaitulshila RASIT, Rafik KALFAT
Abstract\. Escalating atmospheric CO₂ emissions represent one of the most critical environmental challenges of the 21st century, driving an urgent search for mitigation strategies that are both effective and sustainable. In parallel, the growing emphasis on circular economy principles has stimulated interest in waste-derived carbonaceous materials as viable sorbents for CO₂ capture. Against this backdrop, thermochemical pyrolysis has been extensively investigated as a viable pathway for converting diverse waste feedstocks into solid carbon materials with tunable adsorption properties. Despite substantial progress in this field, a comparative understanding of carbonaceous sorbents derived from single feedstock pyrolysis and blended feedstock co-pyrolysis remains limited, hindering the development of tailored carbon-based CO₂ adsorbents. This review addresses this gap by evaluating the CO₂ adsorption performance of solid carbon sorbents produced through thermochemical conversion routes. It further examines how feedstock selection, blending ratios, and processing conditions influence the structural and surface characteristics that govern CO₂ uptake. Textural properties, surface chemistry, and CO₂ adsorption performance are examined to compare sorbents derived from single and blended feedstocks. The analysis focuses on carbonization and activation strategies relevant to systems incorporating plastic waste. Furthermore, critical challenges associated with feedstock compatibility, catalyst effects, techno-economic feasibility, and the emerging application of machine learning approaches for predicting CO₂ capture performance are discussed. Overall, this review bridges existing knowledge gaps and offers strategic insights for the development of efficient, scalable, and sustainable carbonaceous adsorbents for CO₂ capture applications.
Keywords
CO₂ Adsorption, Machine Learning, Synergistic Interactions, Tailored Carbonaceous Adsorbents, Thermochemical Conversion, Waste Valorization
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: Haif ALJOMARD, Chaouki GHENAI, Abrar INAYAT, Farrukh JAMIL, Mohamed DAFALLA, Nazaitulshila RASIT, Rafik KALFAT, Comparative insights into pyrolysis and co-pyrolysis pathways: A review of tailored carbonaceous adsorbents for CO₂ capture and waste valorization, Materials Research Proceedings, Vol. 67, pp 257-264, 2026
DOI: https://doi.org/10.21741/9781644904176-36
The article was published as article 36 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.
References
[1] Sarwar A, Ali M, Khoja AH, Nawar A, Waqas A, Liaquat R, et al. Synthesis and characterization of biomass-derived surface-modified activated carbon for enhanced CO2adsorption. J CO2 Util. 2021;46. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcou.2021.101476
[2] Azmi AA, Aziz MAA. Mesoporous adsorbent for CO 2 capture application under mild condition: A review. J Environ Chem Eng. 2019;7(2):103022. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jece.2019.103022
[3] Chowdhury IJ, Yusoff SH, Gunawan TS, Zabidi SA, Shahrin M, Abu B, et al. Analysis of Model Predictive Control-Based Energy Management System Performance to Enhance Energy Transmission. energies. 2024;1–19. https://doi.org/10.3390/en17112595
[4] Bhatti TT. State of the Climate Crisis and Priorities for COP-29. 2024;42(6):29–32.
[5] Dziejarski B, Serafin J, Andersson K, Krzyżyńska R. CO2 capture materials: a review of current trends and future challenges. Mater Today Sustain. 2023;24. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mtsust.2023.100483
[6] Yang F, Sattar U. COP29: Technology development and transfer framework. Front Environ Sci. 2024;12:8–12. https://doi.org/10.3389/fenvs.2024.1349843
[7] Das S, Lee SH, Kumar P, Kim KH, Lee SS, Bhattacharya SS. Solid waste management: Scope and the challenge of sustainability. J Clean Prod. 2019;228:658–78. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2019.04.323
[8] Wang Z, Burra KG, Lei T, Gupta AK. Co-pyrolysis of waste plastic and solid biomass for synergistic production of biofuels and chemicals-A review. Prog Energy Combust Sci. 2021;84. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pecs.2020.100899
[9] Karimi M, Shirzad M, Silva JAC, Rodrigues AE. Biomass/Biochar carbon materials for CO2 capture and sequestration by cyclic adsorption processes: A review and prospects for future directions. J CO2 Util. 2022;57. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcou.2022.101890
[10] Mohd Azmi NZ, Buthiyappan A, Abdul Raman AA, Abdul Patah MF, Sufian S. Recent advances in biomass based activated carbon for carbon dioxide capture – A review. J Ind Eng Chem. 2022;116:1–20. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jiec.2022.08.021
[11] Inayat A, Rocha-Meneses L, Ghenai C, Abdallah M, Shanableh A, Al-Ali K, et al. Co-pyrolysis for bio-oil production via fixed bed reactor using date seeds and plastic waste as biomass. Case Stud Therm Eng. 2022;31:1–6. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.csite.2022.101841
[12] Ghodake GS, Shinde SK, Kadam AA, Saratale RG, Saratale GD, Kumar M, et al. Review on biomass feedstocks, pyrolysis mechanism and physicochemical properties of biochar: State-of-the-art framework to speed up vision of circular bioeconomy. J Clean Prod. 2021 May 15;297:126645. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.JCLEPRO.2021.126645
[13] Wang G, Dai Y, Yang H, Xiong Q, Wang K, Zhou J, et al. A review of recent advances in biomass pyrolysis. Energy and Fuels. 2020;34(12):15557–78. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.energyfuels.0c03107
[14] Kundu S, Khandaker T, Anik MAAM, Hasan MK, Dhar PK, Dutta SK, et al. A comprehensive review of enhanced CO2 capture using activated carbon derived from biomass feedstock. RSC Adv. 2024;14(40):29693–736. https://doi.org/10.1039/d4ra04537h
[15] Uddin MN, Techato K, Taweekun J, Rahman MM, Rasul MG, Mahlia TMI, et al. An overview of recent developments in biomass pyrolysis technologies. Energies. 2018;11(11). https://doi.org/10.3390/en11113115
[16] Engamba Esso SB, Xiong Z, Chaiwat W, Kamara MF, Longfei X, Xu J, et al. Review on synergistic effects during co-pyrolysis of biomass and plastic waste: Significance of operating conditions and interaction mechanism. Biomass and Bioenergy. 2022 Apr 1;159:106415. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.BIOMBIOE.2022.106415
[17] Plaza MG, González AS, Pevida C, Pis JJ, Rubiera F. Valorisation of spent coffee grounds as CO2 adsorbents for postcombustion capture applications. Appl Energy. 2012;99:272–9. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apenergy.2012.05.028
[18] Tadda M., Ahsan A, Shifu A, ElSergany M, Arunkumar T, Jose B, et al. A Review on Activated Carbon from Biowaste : Process , Application and Prospects. J Adv Civ Eng Pract Res. 2016;2(1):7–13.
[19] Zhang K, Wang R. A critical review on new and efficient adsorbents for CO2 capture. Chem Eng J. 2024;485. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cej.2024.149495
