Physical and chemical properties and adsorption type of activated carbon prepared from plum kernels by NaOH activation

Activated carbon was prepared from plum kernels by NaOH activation at six different NaOH/char ratios. The physical properties including the BET surface area, the total pore volume, the micropore ratio, the pore diameter, the burn-off, and the scanning electron microscope (SEM) observation as well as the chemical properties, namely elemental analysis and temperature programmed desorption (TPD), were measured. The results revealed a two-stage activation process: stage 1 activated carbons were obtained at NaOH/char ratios of 0-1, surface pyrolysis being the main reaction; stage 2 activated carbons were obtained at NaOH/char ratios of 2-4, etching and swelling being the main reactions. The physical properties of stage 2 activated carbons were similar, and specific area was from 1478 to 1887m(2)g(-1). The results of reaction mechanism of NaOH activation revealed that it was apparently because of the loss ratio of elements C, H, and O in the activated carbon, and the variations in the surface functional groups and the physical properties. The adsorption of the above activated carbons on phenol and three kinds of dyes (MB, BB1, and AB74) were used for an isotherm equilibrium adsorption study. The data fitted the Langmuir isotherm equation. Various kinds of adsorbents showed different adsorption types; separation factor (R(L)) was used to determine the level of favorability of the adsorption type. In this work, activated carbons prepared by NaOH activation were evaluated in terms of their physical properties, chemical properties, and adsorption type; and activated carbon PKN2 was found to have most application potential.     

Adsorption of benzene and toluene from aqueous solutions onto activated carbon and its acid and heat treated forms: influence of surface chemistry on adsorption

The influence of surface chemistry and solution pH on the adsorption of benzene and toluene on activated carbon and its acid and heat treated forms were studied. A commercial coal-based activated carbon F-400 was chosen as carbon parent. The carbon samples were obtained by modification of F-400 by means of chemical treatment with HNO3 and thermal treatment under nitrogen flow. The treatment with nitric acid caused the introduction of a significant number of oxygenated acidic surface groups onto the carbon surface, while the heat treatment increases the basicity of carbon. The pore characteristics were not significantly changed after these modifications. The dispersive interactions are the most important factor in this adsorption process. Activated carbon with low oxygenated acidic surface groups (F-400Tox) has the best adsorption capacity.     

Adsorption of naphthalene from aqueous solution on activated carbons obtained from bean pods

The preparation of activated carbons from bean pods waste by chemical (K(2)CO(3)) and physical (water vapor) activation was investigated. The carbon prepared by chemical activation presented a more developed porous structure (surface area 1580 m(2) g(-1) and pore volume 0.809 cm(3) g(-1)) than the one obtained by water vapor activation (258 m(2) g(-1) and 0.206 cm(3) g(-1)). These carbons were explored as adsorbents for the adsorption of naphthalene from water solutions at low concentration and room temperature and their properties are compared with those of commercial activated carbons. Naphthalene adsorption on the carbons obtained from agricultural waste was stronger than that of carbon adsorbents reported in the literature. This seems to be due to the presence of large amounts of basic groups on the bean-pod-based carbons. The adsorption capacity evaluated from Freundlich equation was found to depend on both the textural and chemical properties of the carbons. Naphthalene uptake on biomass-derived carbons was 300 and 85 mg g(-1) for the carbon prepared by chemical and physical activation, respectively. Moreover, when the uptake is normalized per unit area of adsorbent, the least porous carbon displays enhanced naphthalene removal. The results suggest an important role of the carbon composition including mineral matter in naphthalene retention. This issue remains under investigation.     

The influence of activated carbon surface properties on the adsorption of the herbicide molinate and the bio-regeneration of the adsorbent

In the present study, the effect of the textural and surface chemistry properties of the activated carbon were evaluated in a combined treatment system to remove the herbicide molinate from waters. The process consists of an initial adsorption step followed by the bio-regeneration of the activated carbon through the utilization of a defined bacterial mixed culture (DC), previously described as able to mineralize molinate. Molinate adsorption and partial bio-regeneration was favoured with activated carbons with larger pores, consisting mainly of meso and macropores. In order to study the effect of different surface chemical characteristics while maintaining the original textural properties, a commercial activated carbon was submitted to thermal and nitric acid treatments. The thermal treatment improved the molinate adsorption capacity of activated carbon. However, the bio-regeneration of the nitric acid oxidised activated carbon was slightly higher. With all the activated carbon materials used it was observed that the biological consumption of molinate present in the liquid phase displaced the equilibrium towards the activated carbon partial regeneration.     

不同结构活性炭对甲苯的吸附性能

考察了不同结构的活性炭样品对高浓度和低浓度甲苯蒸汽的吸附行为,采用低温(77 K)氮气吸附和129Xe-核磁共振方法对所用活性炭的结构进行了表征.并将活性炭对甲苯的吸附性能与其结构进行了关联.结果表明孔容积大的活性炭对高浓度甲苯蒸汽吸附容量大,而具有丰富微孔和较小平均孔径的活性炭对低浓度(2×10-5)甲苯蒸汽具有高的吸附容量.沥青基活性炭纤维对低浓度(2×10-5)甲苯蒸汽表现出较好的吸附能力.随着比表面积的增大,活性炭纤维对低浓度(2×10-5)甲苯蒸汽的吸附容量略有增加.OG5A,OG10A,OG15A和OG20A在30 ℃下对2×10-5甲苯蒸汽的饱和吸附容量分别为202 mg/g,219 mg/g,221 mg/g和235 mg/g.     

Adsorption characteristics of N-nitrosodimethylamine from aqueous solution on surface-modified activated carbons

This study investigated the removal of N-nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA) by an adsorption mechanism using commercially available activated carbons and surface-modified activated carbons. The effects of the modification on the properties of the activated carbon were studied by N₂ adsorption/desorption, Diffuse Reflectance Infrared Fourier Transmission (DRIFT) analysis and X-Ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS). Adsorption experiments revealed that the activated carbons demonstrated a greater capacity for NDMA adsorption capacity than can be achieved using zeolite. The equilibrium data was fitted to the Freundlich equation and it was found that the adsorption capacity was significantly influenced by the micropore size, relative pore volume and surface characteristics. Adsorption experiments were conducted using unmodified and modified activated carbons. The results indicated that the adsorption capacity of NDMA can be significantly improved by heat treatment and doping of TiO₂ particles. This was because the surface treatments yielded more hydrophobic sites and fewer oxygen-containing surface functional groups, and consequently an increased capacity for NDMA adsorption.     

Role of heteroatoms in activated carbon for removal of hexavalent chromium from wastewaters

Heteroatoms are elements including sulfur, nitrogen, oxygen and hydrogen which are found on the surface of activated carbons. This study investigated the surface modification arising from heteroatoms bonding to carbon aromatic rings within the activated carbon and their corresponding influence on the chromium adsorption process. Activated carbons were prepared from bagasse by physical. Chromium removal capacities of these activated carbons by adsorption and reduction were determined. Models which related the chromium adsorption and reduction capacities of activated carbons to carbon acidity and heteroatom site concentrations were established using multi-variable linear regression method. It was found the individual heteroatoms contributed separately to the basicity of the carbon which in turn determined the mechanism by which chromium was removed from solution. The surface areas of the carbons were also observed to influence the adsorption and reduction of chromium. These understandings provide the fundamental method of optimising chromium removal through suitable control of carbon surface chemistry and textural properties.     

单宁改性酚醛基炭气凝胶的制备及其CO2吸附性能

基于绿色低成本的单宁所具有的大量反应性羟基,其与醛类反应具有与苯酚或间苯二酚相似的机制。在传统的酚醛树脂基(苯酚-尿素-甲醛)炭气凝胶的基础上,通过添加单宁进行改性,成功制备出新型高效的CO₂吸附用酚醛基炭气凝胶。通过扫描电子显微镜(SEM)、傅里叶红外光谱(FTIR)和氮气吸脱附测试对其表面化学和孔隙结构进行了系统表征,同时通过CO₂吸脱附测试对其CO₂吸附量、选择性吸附及吸附热等进行了研究。结果表明：以绿色可再生的生物质原料单宁对原料进行部分取代,不仅可以显著降低产品成本,还可以明显改善其CO₂的吸附性能。当单宁的添加量(15 g)为苯酚用量的50wt%时,样品具有最大的比表面积(1 376.31 m2·g^-1)和微孔体积(0.55 cm3·g^-1),是一种极具潜力的气体吸附材料。其相应的CO₂吸附量高达5.36 mmol·g^-1,选择性吸附和吸附热则分别为16.84和34.49 kJ·mol^-1<...     

Surface modification of coconut shell based activated carbon for the improvement of hydrophobic VOC removal

In this study, coconut shell based carbons were chemically treated by ammonia, sodium hydroxide, nitric acid, sulphuric acid, and phosphoric acid to determine suitable modification for improving adsorption ability of hydrophobic volatile organic compounds (VOCs) on granular activated carbons (GAC). The saturated adsorption capacities of o-xylene, a hydrophobic volatile organic compound, were measured and adsorption effects of the original and modified activated carbons were compared. Results showed that GAC modified by alkalis had better o-xylene adsorption capacity. Uptake amount was enhanced by 26.5% and reduced by 21.6% after modification by NH₃H₂O and H₂SO₄, respectively. Compared with the original, GAC modified by acid had less adsorption capacity. Both SEM/EDAX and BET were used to identify the structural characteristics of the tested GAC, while IR spectroscopy and Boehm's titration were applied to analysis the surface functional groups. Relationships between physicochemical characteristics of GAC and their adsorption performances demonstrated that o-xylene adsorption capacity was related to surface area, pore volume, and functional groups of the GAC surface. Removing surface oxygen groups, which constitute the source of surface acidity, and reducing hydrophilic carbon surface favors adsorption capacity of hydrophobic VOCs on carbons. The performances of modified GACs were also investigated in the purification of gases containing complex components (o-xylene and steam) in the stream.     

Liquid-solid phase countercurrent multi-stage adsorption process for using the Langmuir equation

Mass balance and the Langmuir equation were used to deduct the countercurrent multi-stage adsorption process. The relationships between the Langmuir parameter (K(L)y(i)) and the required amounts of adsorbent in countercurrent two-, three- and infinite-stage processes were obtained to find the optimum number of stages as well as the reduction in the adsorbent consumption of the countercurrent multi-stage process of an adsorption system. Pistachio shell activated carbons with BET surface areas of 1013, 1398, and 1919m(2)/g were obtained by KOH activation with CO(2) gasification at gasification times of 0, 10, and 30min. The isotherm adsorption of four adsorbates were investigated and analyzed with the Langmuir equation. The activated carbons studied in this work show compared with other published literatures, the K(L)y(i) and q(mon) values in this work showed excellent adsorption performance. The amount of activated carbon for a countercurrent two- and single stage adsorption operation was calculated, a saving of 66-87% adsorbent was obtained. A simple countercurrent two-stage adsorption system was designed for use in engineering applications.     

Batch adsorption of phenol onto physiochemical-activated coconut shell

The present work explored the use of Tunisian olive-waste cakes, a by-product of the manufacture process of olive oil in mills, as a potential feedstock for the preparation of activated carbon. Chemical activation of this precursor, using phosphoric acid as dehydrating agent, was adopted. To optimize the preparation method, the effect of the main process parameters (such as acid concentration, impregnation ratio, temperature of pyrolysis step) on the performances of the obtained activated carbons (expressed in terms of iodine and methylene blue numbers and specific surface area) was studied. The optimal activated carbon was fully characterized considering its adsorption properties as well as its chemical structure and morphology. To enhance the adsorption capacity of this carbon for heavy metals, a modification of the chemical characteristics of the sorbent surface was performed, using KMnO(4) as oxidant. The efficiency of this treatment was evaluated considering the adsorption of Cu(2+) ions as a model for metallic species. Column adsorption tests showed the high capacity of the activated carbon to reduce KMnO(4) into insoluble manganese (IV) oxide (MnO(2)) which impregnated the sorbent surface. The results indicated also that copper uptake capacity was enhanced by a factor of up to 3 for the permanganate-treated activated carbon.     

Production of activated carbon from a new precursor molasses by activation with sulphuric acid

Activated carbon has been prepared from molasses, a natural precursor of vegetable origin resulting from the sugar industry in Morocco. The preparation of the activated carbon from the molasses has been carried out by impregnation of the precursor with sulphuric acid, followed by carbonisation at varying conditions (temperature and gas coverage) in order to optimize preparation parameters. The influence of activation conditions was investigated by determination of adsorption capacity of methylene blue and iodine, the BET surface area, and the pore volume of the activated carbon were determined while the micropore volume was determined by the Dubinin-Radushkevich (DR) equation. The activated materials are mainly microporous and reveal the type I isotherm of the Brunauer classification for nitrogen adsorption. The activated carbons properties in this study were found for activation of the mixture (molasses/sulphuric acid) in steam at 750 degrees C. The samples obtained in this condition were highly microporous, with high surface area (> or =1200 m2/g) and the maximum adsorption capacity of methylene blue and iodine were 435 and 1430 mg/g, respectively.     

沥青基球形活性炭对CO2的吸脱附行为研究

考察了沥青基球形活性炭(PSAC)的孔结构与CO2吸附容量间的内在关系及其脱附性能.采用N2吸附法分析PSAC的孔结构,由穿透曲线测试其对CO2的平衡吸附量.实验结果表明:在CO2/N2混合气氛下,活性炭对CO2的吸附容量与孔径小于1nm的微孔比表面积呈线性关系;当PSAC担载5%的三聚氰胺后,对CO2(15%)的平衡吸附量由0.91mmol/g增加到1.15mmol/g,提高了26.3%;采用抽真空脱附时,循环脱附效率为74.6%,而电解吸-抽真空耦合脱附工艺可使CO2的循环脱附效率接近100%.     

Enhanced adsorption of phenol from water by ammonia-treated activated carbon

Influence of treatment with gaseous ammonia on adsorption properties toward phenol from water was examined for commercially available CWZ-series activated carbons. The treatment was carried out at elevated temperatures ranged from 400 degrees C to 800 degrees C for 2 h. In comparison with untreated material, activated carbons modified with ammonia demonstrated enhanced adsorption of phenol from water. The enhancement depended on the treatment temperature and porous structure of studied activated carbons. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) measurements confirmed presence of N-containing species in ammonia-treated activated carbons. Optimal conditions of the modification with ammonia were determined. Influence of the N-containing groups and porous structure of activated carbons on adsorption of phenol is discussed.     

Adsorption equilibrium of phenol onto chemically modified activated carbon F400

In this work the adsorption of phenol solutions onto activated carbon Calgon F400 has been studied. The carbon was modified by acid treatment, using soxhlet extraction with hydrochloric acid 2N for 120 cycles. The treatment did not affect significantly the surface area of the activated carbon but affected significatively the different functional groups, and thus its adsorption properties. Tóth model reproduced satisfactorily the experimental isotherm data and an adsorption enthalpy of -17.9 kJ mol-1 was found, which indicates that the process is exothermic. The pH affected significatively to the adsorption process and an empirical polynomial equation was able to reproduce maximum capacity as a function of pH. The isotherms obtained at pH 3 and 7 are very similar and showed a higher adsorption capacity compared with that obtained at pH 13. The use of phosphate buffer solutions decreased the maximum phenol adsorption capacity, due to the competitive adsorption between the phenol and phosphates. Finally, it was demonstrated that the acid treatment introduced chloride ions into the carbon, giving it properties of ion exchanger.     

Enhanced adsorption of metal ions onto functionalized granular activated carbons prepared from cherry stones

Some granular activated carbons (GACs) were prepared from cherry stones (CS), an agricultural waste, by thermal methods following pyrolysis in nitrogen and subsequent activation (with air, carbon dioxide and steam) or single-step activation in steam. A GAC prepared by activation with carbon dioxide was further treated with several oxidizing agents (air, air-ozone mixture, nitric acid and hydrogen peroxide). The non-oxidized GACs produced have surface areas ranged from 508 to 901m(2)/g and show a predominantly micro- and macropores structure. Oxidation treatments, especially with nitric acid and ozone, led to the fixation of high amounts of acidic surface oxygen complexes (SOCs), thus making the carbon surface more hydrophilic. Contrary to oxidation with the other agents, the ozone treatment, at the conditions applied in this work, does not decrease the GAC surface area. Both, the non-oxidized and the oxidized GACs were used as adsorbent to study the adsorption of Cu(II) from aqueous solution. Adsorption isotherms were obtained at 25 degrees C and data were well fitted to the Langmuir equation. The results show that the Cu(II) uptake of the non-oxidized GACs is not great, but similar to that of the commercial grade Filtrasorb 400. The adsorption capacity for Cu(II) could be greatly enhanced by GAC oxidation, especially with nitric acid and ozone treatments. The larger adsorption capacity of the oxidized GACs has been attributed to oxygen functionalities (mainly carboxylic) fixed on the GAC surface, which can remove Cu(II) species from water by both ion-exchange and surface complexation mechanisms. The ozonated GAC was also evaluated for the adsorption of Co(II) species from single solute and Cu(II)-Co(II) binary mixture solutions. The functionalization of GAC by the ozone treatment improved the adsorption of both Cu(II) and Co(II) regardless of the fact that they were in single solute or binary systems.     

Adsorptive removal of phenol from aqueous solutions on activated carbon prepared from tobacco residues: equilibrium, kinetics and thermodynamics

This study consists of producing high surface area activated carbon from tobacco residues by chemical activation and its behavior of phenol removal from aqueous solutions. K(2)CO(3) and KOH were used as chemical activation agents and three impregnation ratios (50, 75 and 100 wt.%) were applied on biomass. Maximum BET surface areas of activated carbons were obtained from impregnation with 75 wt.% of K(2)CO(3) and 75 wt.% of KOH as 1635 and 1474 m(2)/g, respectively. Optimum adsorption conditions were determined as a function of pH, adsorbent dosage, initial phenol concentration, contact time and temperature of solution for phenol removal. To describe the equilibrium isotherms the experimental data were analyzed by the Langmuir, Freundlich, Dubinin-Radushkevich (D-R) and Temkin isotherm models. Pseudo-first order, pseudo-second order and intraparticle diffusion kinetic models were used to find out the kinetic parameters and mechanism of adsorption process. The thermodynamic parameters such as ΔG°, ΔH° and ΔS° were calculated for predicting the nature of adsorption. According to the experimental results, activated carbon prepared from tobacco residue seems to be an effective, low-cost and alternative adsorbent precursor for the removal of phenol from aqueous solutions.     

活性炭硝酸表面改性对催化剂分散度的影响

无论是活性炭作为催化剂载体还是在活性炭本身的催化制备过程中,催化剂在活性炭或活性炭前体上的高度分散都是至关重要的。通过X射线能谱(EDX)和扫描电子显微镜(SEM)技术直接观察、研究了活性炭表面经硝酸氧化改性对硝酸铜在煤基活性炭中分散度的影响。此外,将经硝酸表面改性的商品活性炭采用浸渍法负载上硝酸铜催化剂,再经水蒸气二次活化制备了一种新的活性炭。结果表明,硝酸处理造成活性炭吸附性能的下降,并且硝酸处理的强度越高,活性炭吸附性能的下降程度越大。然而,对硝酸处理的活性炭经简单的水洗可恢复其吸附性能。研究结果还表明,活性炭经硝酸氧化提高了炭表面含氧官能团的数量,使催化剂在活性炭的内外表面均能均匀分布,提高了催化剂的分散度和抗烧结能力。活性炭经硝酸改性后再负载硝酸铜进行二次活化制备高性能活性炭,可使硝酸铜的催化性能得到进一步的提升。     

硝酸表面氧化改性木质活性碳纤维

采用2~14mol/L的硝酸,在23~83℃下,对木质活性碳纤维(WACF)浸渍氧化改性1~8h后,通过Raman、XPS、水吸附和汞吸附等表征表面官能团的结构性能。结果表明,硝酸氧化能力强,可以增加氧原子浓度。酚基、醇基、羟基、羧基官能团随着硝酸浓度增大而增多,酚基和醇基随着浸渍时间的延长而减少,羟基随着浸渍时间的延长而显著增多。WACF表面的石墨化程度随硝酸浓度增大而提高,芯部石墨化程度整体提高但不随浓度梯度的变化而变化。硝酸改性后WACF的水吸附孔容降低,水吸附比表面积显著增加。WACF对HgCl2的吸附量随着硝酸浓度的增大、温度的升高和浸渍时间的延长而增大。以WACF的吸附能力为研究目标,通过对其形貌、晶体结构、表面官能团等进行表征,揭示影响水吸附、汞吸附性能的表面结构特性和化学特性的内在规律,研究结果对WACF功能化利用有指导意义。     

Thorium removal by different adsorbents

The removal of radiotoxic Th(4+) from aqueous solutions has been explored using two different groups of adsorptive materials (e.g. two activated carbons and four zeolites-two natural and two synthetic). The activated carbons were prepared from solvent extracted olive pulp (SEOP) and olive stone (OS) by a two-step physical activation method with steam. They were characterized by N(2) at 77K adsorption, Hg porosimetry and by determination of their iodine number. All carbons prepared are of the H-type (e.g. contain mainly basic surface oxides) confirmed by the results of the Boehm's method. The natural zeolites, clinoptilolite (NaCLI) and mordenite (NaMOR), were pretreated with Na(+) before the adsorption experiments, while the synthetic ones, NaX and NaA, were provided in their commercial sodium form.The natural zeolites, NaCLI and NaMOR, utilized 11.5 and 38.6% of the theoretical ion-exchange capacity, based on Al content, respectively, while NaX and NaA utilized 41.5 and 45.9%, respectively. The activated carbons showed better removal capability than NaCLI. NaMOR, showed comparable results to the carbon originated from OS, but lower removal capability than the carbon originated from SEOP. The synthetic zeolites showed the highest removal ability for thorium ions due to their increased ion-exchange capacity because of their cleaner and larger framework channels and their higher number of ion-exchange sites. The carbons adsorption capacity mainly depends on the content and nature of functional surface groups. The adsorption data were fitted to Langmuir and Freundlich models. The former achieved best fits and was further applied to obtain the respective Langmuir constant and maximum adsorption capacity for each system.