A porous carbon derived from hyper-crosslinked polymer for hydrogen Storage: Synthesis, characterization, techno-economic analysis

The hydrogen storage capacity of porous carbon materials (PCs) can be improved through various chemical activation processes. From this perspective, a microporous carbon (PC) material derived from a hyper-crosslinked polymer (HCP) via KOH activation was investigated for improved hydrogen storage capacity, achieving a higher surface area and optimized surface chemistry. The impact of activation temperature and KOH-to-precursor ratio (KPR) on surface area and hydrogen uptake was evaluated through process optimization, with KPR ratios ranging from 1:1 to 4:1 at 600 °C, 800 °C, and 900 °C. PC was synthesized from a benzene-based polymer. PC-900-4 showed a very high surface area of 2042 m2/g and high hydrogen uptake up to 126 cm3/g at 77 K/1 bar, at 900 °C, and a KPR ratio of 4:1. The optimal activation conditions for maximizing surface area were identified as 900 °C and a KPR ratio of 4:1 over 2 h. Within the increase of KPR mass ratio from 1:1 to 4:1 at 900 °C, PC materials exhibited a significant increase in surface area from 1107 m2/g to 2042 m2/g. The techno-economic analysis was conducted to evaluate material synthesis, total operating cost, and total cost per unit area. The techno-economic study results confirmed that low-temperature synthesis is economically viable, whereas higher-temperature processes deliver significant performance advantages. These findings highlight the potential of PC-900-4 as a promising solid sorbent for hydrogen storage.