From pollutant to solution of wastewater pollution: Synthesis of activated carbon from textile sludge for dye adsorption

Adsorption is an important process in wastewater treatment,and conversion of waste materials to adsorbent offers a solution to high material cost related to the use of commercial activated carbon.This study investigated the adsorption behaviour of Reactive Black 5(RB5)and methylene blue(MB)onto activated carbon produced from textile sludge(TSAC).The activated carbon was synthesized through chemical activation of precursor followed with carbonization at 650°C under nitrogen flow.Effects of time(0–200 min),pH(2–10),temperature(25–60°C),initial dye concentration(0–200 mg·L~(-1)),and adsorbent dosage(0.01–0.15 g)on dye removal efficiency were investigated.Preliminary screening revealed that TSAC synthesized via H_2SO_4activation showed higher adsorption behaviour than TSAC activated by KCl and ZnCl_2.The adsorption capacity of TSAC was found to be 11.98 mg·g~(-1)(RB5)and 13.27 mg·g~(-1)(MB),and is dependent on adsorption time and initial dye concentration.The adsorption data for both dyes were well fitted to Freundlich isotherm model which explains the heterogeneous nature of TSAC surface.The dye adsorption obeyed pseudo-second order kinetic model,thus chemisorption was the controlling step.This study reveals potential of textile sludge in removal of dyes from aqueous solution,and further studies are required to establish the applicability of the synthesized adsorbent for the treatment of waste water containing toxic dyes from textile industry.     

Characterization of synthetic and activated sludge and conditioning with cationic polyelectrolytes

This study investigates the effect of cationic polyelectrolytes on the final properties of synthetic and activated sludge. Synthetic sludge was prepared according to established procedures. Activated sludge was produced in a labscale, continuous-flow reactor which was fed with live activated sludge from a waste-water treatment plant. Capillary suction time (CST) was used to evaluate the sludge dewatering behaviour. The results from experiments indicated that the cationic polyelectrolytes had a critical effect on sludge dewatering, and made an improvement in the final properties of sludge. The two types of sludge have very similar dewatering characteristics after cationic polymer conditioning. The development of synthetic sludge is suggested also to be a possible surrogate for studying the final properties of activated sludge.     

Comparison of the filtration characteristics between biological powdered activated carbon sludge and activated sludge in submerged membrane bioreactors

The filtration performances of submerged membrane bioreactors (SMBR) with and without the addition of powdered activated carbon (PAC) were investigated respectively under the same feed and operation conditions. A series of experiments were conducted to analyze near-critical flux, effect of air-scouring rate and time of stable filtration operation of both systems. The experimental results demonstrated that pronounced flux enhancement was achieved by adding 1.2 g/L PAC. The near-critical flux for the biological powdered activated carbon (BPAC) system was about 32% higher than that for the activated sludge (AS) system. Increasing the air-scouring rate led to a more significant flux improvement for the BPAC system compared to the AS system. Long-term operation indicated that, at constant flux, the TMP increasing rate of the BPAC system could be lagged and thus cause the extension of operating intervals about 1.8 times compared to the AS system. Quantitative calculations showed the total hydraulic resistance of the BPAC system was about 44% lower than that of the AS system, and this decrease was mainly caused by the reduction in cake resistance. Analyses were then made from various aspects such as floc size distribution and apparent viscosity of the mixed liquor to elucidate the major factors giving rise to different filtration characteristics.     

Rheology and conduction calorimetry of cement modified with calcined paper sludge

This paper considers calcined paper sludge as an alternative source of metakaolin, an established supplementary cementitious material. Calcination of the sludge generated in the recycling of newsprint paper at 700 °C yields a product with pozzolanic properties. The effects of this recycled metakaolin on the rheology and conduction calorimetry of cement pastes have been studied and compared to the effects of commercial metakaolin. The effects are similar and the results show that calcined paper sludge has the potential to be used as a supplementary cementitious material. This offers a route for utilising this waste material, as an alternative to the increased environmental burden associated with the production of metakaolin from natural kaolinite resources.     

Calculation of single adsorption isotherms from gravimetrically measured binary gas mixture adsorption isotherms on activated carbon at high pressures

A method is developed for the calculation of single-component adsorption isotherms from gravimetrically measured binary gas mixture adsorption isotherms at high pressures, at two temperatures and for different mole fractions of the gas phase. The adsorption of nitrogen/methane on active carbon Norit R1 is taken as an experimental example.     

Liquid-phase adsorption of dyes and phenols using pinewood-based activated carbons

Physical properties of activated carbons prepared from pinewood at different activation times (0.5, 1.5, 2.7, and 4.0 h) in steam at 900 °C were studied. The adsorption equilibria and kinetics of three dyes and three phenols (phenol, 3-chlorophenol, and o-cresol) from aqueous solutions on such carbons were then examined at 30 °C. The adsorption isotherms of phenols could be well fitted by the Freundlich equation, and those of dyes were adequately described by the Langmuir-Freundlich equation. The effect of microporosity of the carbons on adsorption capacity was explored. Four simplified kinetic models including pseudo-first-order equation, pseudo-second-order equation, intraparticle diffusion model, and the Elovich equation were selected to follow the adsorption processes. The adsorption of all six adsorbates could be best described by the Elovich equation. The kinetic parameters of this best-fit model were calculated and discussed.     

Comparison of a single grain activated carbon and column adsorption system

Results from a single grain activated carbon adsorption study indicate that the effective diffusion coefficient was from 0.65×10⁻⁶ to 7.4×10⁻⁶ cm²/s for H₂S in the concentration range of 20–300 ppmv at 23 °C for both virgin activated carbon (FAC) and impregnated-regenerative activated carbon (IRAC). The effective diffusivity of the IRAC was nearly two times the FAC for H₂S adsorption. The surface reaction of H₂S-impregnated regenerative activated carbon was faster than that of H₂S and virgin activated carbon. The single grain activated carbon kinetic curve and a time scale conversion method were used to predict the breakthrough curve and the adsorption capacity of the column adsorption system. The single grain activated carbon adsorption system measured the breakthrough curve more efficiently than column adsorption. The prediction error was between 10 and 30%. Improvement can be further achieved by enhanced experimental approaches. It has a great potential for scale-up.     

城市剩余污泥制备活性炭吸附剂对Ni2+的吸附研究

以城市污水处理厂剩余脱水污泥为原料,采用化学活化热解法制备了污泥活性炭吸附剂,对水溶液中的Ni2+进行去除,确定了最佳实验参数。实验结果表明,吸附时间为1 h、p H为7、吸附剂用量为6 g/L时,对含Ni2+废水(Ni2+质量浓度为50 mg/L)的平均去除率为29.132%,污泥活性炭吸附剂的平均吸附容量为2.428 mg/g。通过单因素实验得出吸附时间为80 min、溶液p H为7时,对溶液中的Ni2+有较好的去除效果。Ni2+在污泥活性炭吸附剂上的吸附比较符合伪二级吸附动力学方程,Langmuir等温方程更适合描述Ni2+在污泥活性炭吸附剂上的吸附行为。     

Adsorptive removal of fluoride from water by activated carbon derived from CaCl2-modified Crocus sativus leaves: Equilibrium adsorption isotherms,optimization, and influence of anions

A central composite design using response surface methodology was applied for the experimental design and optimization of fluoride adsorption on an activated carbon derived from calcium chloride-modified Crocus sativus leaves (AC-CMCSL). Fluoride removal efficiency as function of independent variables, such as initial fluoride concentration, pH, adsorbent dose, and time has been investigated. The maximum percentage removal of fluoride at optimum conditions (initial fluoride concentration?=?6.5?mg?L^?1, pH?=?4.5, adsorbent dose?=?15?g?L^?1 and time?=?70?min) was 85.43%. By comparing adsorption isotherm, the Freundlich model provided the best correlation (R²?=?0.99) for the adsorption of fluoride on AC-CMCSL. The maximum adsorption capacity from the Langmuir model (q_max) was 2.01?mg?g^?1. The influence of the co-existing anions on fluoride adsorption was in the following order: PO₄^3??>?SO₄^2??>?Cl^??>?NO₃^?. The results of the present study showed that activated carbon derived from the leaves of calcium chloride-modified Crocus sativus has a good potential for fluoride removal from aqueous solution.     

Adsorption of hydrogen sulfide,carbon dioxide,methane, and their mixtures on activated carbon

Abstract

H₂S and CO₂ are acid contaminants of natural gas and biogas, which removal have been studied using adsorption data for monocomponent and binary mixtures. However, equilibrium adsorption data for H₂S?+?CO₂ + CH₄ mixture has not been investigated yet. In this work, H₂S and CO₂ partition coefficients (K) and activated carbon (AC) selectivity (S) for H₂S?+?CO₂ + CH₄ mixture separation at high-pressure and different temperatures were determined. To reach this goal, monocomponent isotherms for H₂S, CO₂ and CH₄ on Brazilian babassu coconut hush AC were experimentally determined at different temperatures and pressures. Then, obtained data were correlated by Langmuir and Tóth models, and multicomponent adsorption was predicted using Extended Langmuir, Extended Tóth and Ideal Adsorption Solution Theory (IAST) methods. Results indicate AC captures approximately 26?wt% of H₂S or CO₂. K values for CO₂ and H₂S reached more than 3 and 26, respectively, depending on the predictive model utilized and were higher for diluted mixtures (high CH₄ content in gas phase). S values for CO₂ and H₂S can reach values greater than 25 for Tóth?+?IAST. Furthermore, selectivity toward H₂S is approximately 5.6 times greater than CO₂. The effect of temperature on multicomponent results indicate K and S values decrease as temperature increases. Therefore, results obtained herein show that is possible to separate H₂S and CO₂ from mixture containing CH₄ using this AC as adsorbent and better separation performance was observed for low H₂S and CO₂ concentrations and lower temperatures.     

污泥基活性炭制备改性及其吸附甲苯性能

以石化企业干化剩余活性污泥为炭源前体、ZnCl₂溶液为活化剂,在613℃条件下炭化70min制得了碘值为683.40mg/g、产率为55.5%的污泥基活性炭（SAC,sludge-based activated carbon）样品,并进一步利用不同浓度的HNO₃、H₂SO₄和H₂O₂溶液为改性剂对SAC氧化改性,通过碘值测定、BET、Boehm滴定、ICP、FTIR、XRD、SEM、TEM等手段对改性前后SAC样品进行了表征分析和对比研究。结果表明,HNO₃和H₂SO₄改性后SAC的BET比表面积、孔容、碘值均明显增加,可有效提高SAC吸附性能,当HNO₃浓度为0.5mol/L、H₂SO₄浓度为1.0mol/L时改性效果最好,动态吸附甲苯的吸附量较改性前分别提高了38.80%和27.19%,吸附穿透时间也明显延长;而对于H₂O₂溶液为改性剂,总体上不利于SAC吸附性能的提高。对甲苯吸附效果最好的几种改性SAC材料进行再生性能测试,均展现了良好的再生循环利用性能。     

Modified activated carbons with amino groups and their copper adsorption properties in aqueous solution

Activated carbons were prepared by two chemical methods and the adsorption of Cu (II) on activated carbons from aqueous solution containing amino groups was studied. The first method involved the chlorination of activated carbon following by substitution of chloride groups with amino groups, and the second involved the nitrilation of activated carbon with reduction of nitro groups to amino groups. Resultant activated carbons were characterized in terms of porous structure, elemental analysis, FTIR spectroscopy, XPS, Boehm titration, and pHzpc. Kinetic and equilibrium tests were performed for copper adsorption in the batch mode. Also, adsorption mechanism and effect of pH on the adsorption of Cu (II) ions were discussed. Adsorption study shows enhanced adsorption for copper on the modified activated carbons, mainly by the presence of amino groups, and the Freundlich model is applicable for the activated carbons. It is suggested that binding of nitrogen atoms with Cu (II) ions is stronger than that with H+ions due to relatively higher divalent charge or stronger electrostatic force.     

A model for the adsorption of single metal ion solutes in aqueous solution onto activated carbon produced from pecan shells

Adsorption isotherms for activated carbon made from pecan shells have been obtained at 25 °C and an approximate pH of 3 for a number of metal ion solutes. It was found that the Slips and Freundlich equations were satisfactory for explaining the experimental data. The correlation of metal ion adsorption with the solute parameters of metal ion electronegativity and first stability constant of the metal hydroxide was investigated. In the case of most of the metal ions studied, higher electronegativities and stability constants corresponded to the higher adsorption levels of metal ions onto the activated carbon. A correlation was developed that predicts the constants of the Freundlich equation from the selected parameters of the metal ions, and thus can predict the adsorption isotherms at constant pH. The developed correlation gives results with acceptable deviations from experimental data. A procedure is proposed for obtaining similar correlations for different conditions (temperature, pH, carbon type and dosage). The ratio of equivalent metal ions adsorbed to protons released is calculated for the studied metal ions over a range of concentrations. In most cases, particularly at low concentrations, this ratio is close to one, confirming that ion exchange of one proton with one equivalent metal ion is the dominant reaction mechanism.     

A systematic study and proposed model of the adsorption of binary metal ion solutes in aqueous solution onto activated carbon produced from pecan shells

Adsorption isotherms of a number of binary solute systems have been obtained. The adsorption behavior of these cations in the presence of other metal ions that display strong or intermediate affinities for adsorption sites has been systematically investigated. In this investigation the following factors have been considered: (1) metal ion site competition; (2) charge accumulation near the carbon surface; and (3) speciation of the metal ions. Two multicomponent adsorption models are proposed, and the results are compared to two models presented in the literature. The performance of these models is evaluated by an analysis of error. It is found that models with three interaction parameters generally provide a better fit of the data. In most cases, the proposed two-parameter model gives acceptable results.     

Review and comparisons of D/R models of equilibrium adsorption of binary mixtures of organic vapors on activated carbons

Published models and options for predicting equilibrium adsorption capacities of multicomponent mixtures using single component Dubinin/Radushkevich isotherm equations and parameters were reviewed. They were then tested for abilities to predict total and component capacities reported for 93 binary adsorbed mixtures. The best model for calculating molar distributions was the Ideal Adsorbed Solution Theory (IAST), which balances spreading pressures. Combined with the IAST, total and component capacities were best calculated using either the Lewis or original Bering equation with the Ideal Adsorbed Solution (Raoult’s Law) assumption.     

Treatment of tannery wastewater through the combination of a conventional activated sludge process and reverse osmosis with a plane membrane

Tannery wastewater contains high concentrations of organic matter (COD) with a significant percentage of refractory organic compounds, ammonium substances, salts (i.e. chloride and sulphate) as well as sulphur. Contaminants have to be removed in order to avoid significant environmental impacts. This paper presents the results obtained from a pilot scale study developed in the tannery district of Solofra in Southern Italy. It was aimed at evaluating the reuse of wastewater produced in the retanning process. The treatment process consisted of a biological treatment, as a pre-treatment, followed by a physico-chemical process (with a polymer as a coagulant) and reverse osmosis with a plane membrane. The biological pre-treatment was able to remove approx. 67% of COD, while the membrane system completed the purification process with the removal of the refractory organic compounds (chloride and sulphate). In the test carried out, the combination of a biological pre-treatment with a plane membrane system showed satisfactory results in terms of wastewater recovery and reuse in the tannery production cycle.     

Behaviour of activated carbons with different pore size distributions and surface oxygen groups for benzene and toluene adsorption at low concentrations

This paper deals with the study of the effect that the porosity and the surface chemistry of the activated carbons have on the adsorption of two VOC (benzene and toluene) at low concentration (200 ppmv). In this sense, activated carbons with very different porosities and contents in oxygen surface groups have been tested. Our results regarding the effect of the porosity show that the volume of narrow micropores (size <0.7 nm) seems to govern the adsorption of VOC at low concentration, specially for benzene adsorption. Regarding the surface chemistry, AC with low content in oxygen surface groups have the best adsorption capacities. Among the AC tested, those prepared by chemical activation with hydroxides exhibit the higher adsorption capacities for VOC. The adsorption capacities achieved are higher than those previously shown in the literature for these conditions, specially for toluene. Adsorption capacities as high as 34 g benzene/100 g AC or 64 g toluene/100 g AC have been achieved.     

Preparation of polystyrene-based activated carbon spheres with high surface area and their adsorption to dibenzothiophene

Polystyrene-based activated carbon spheres (PACS_K) with high surface area were prepared through KOH activation. Effects of the carbonization temperature and the ratio of KOH to carbon spheres (CS) on the textural structure, hardness and yield of the resultant PACS_K were studied, and their adsorption to dibenzothiophene (DBT) were investigated. The as-prepared PACS_K exhibited a high surface area (up to 2022 m²/g), large total pore volume (≥ 0.78 cm³/g), superior mechanical hardness and high adsorption capacity (ca. 153 mg/g). With the increase of the KOH/CS ratio from 2:1 to 4:1, the surface area, total pore volume, volume of micropores, and volume of mesopores, increase, whereas the volume of small-micropores (< 0.8 nm) decreases from 0.36 to 0.31 cm³/g. The adsorption capacity has a good linear correlation with the volume of small-micropores rather than the surface area. In addition, the large quantity of acidic oxygen-containing groups of PACS_K may also be responsible for their higher adsorption capacity and selectivity of DBT. The PACS_K saturated by DBT can be regenerated by a washing process in a shaking bath or using ultrasonic with toluene at 80 °C.     

Theoretical and experimental SO2 adsorption onto pistachio-nut-shell activated carbon for a fixed-bed column

The adsorption and desorption behaviours of SO₂ onto activated carbons, which were prepared from pistachio-nut shells, were studied theoretically and experimentally in a fixed-bed column. A mathematical model considering non-equilibrium, non-isothermal and non-adiabatic effects for a single gas adsorbate on a fixed-bed system was derived and the model was solved by a finite-difference method. A linear driving force (LDF) approximation is used for heat and mass transfer rates. The temperature-dependent Langmuir equilibrium isotherm is used to represent gas–solid equilibrium isotherm. The theoretical study was conducted to compare the present model with the isothermal and adiabatic model. The effects of inlet concentration, flow rate and temperature were studied experimentally. These experimental data showed that the breakthrough time decreased with increasing feed concentration, increasing flow rate and increasing temperature and the trends were correctly predicted by the model calculations.     

Benign and efficient preparation of thioethers by solvent-free S-alkylation of thiols with alkyl halides catalyzed by potassium fluoride on alumina

The preparation of thioethers by S-alkylation of various thiols with alkyl halides under solvent-free reaction conditions using potassium fluoride on alumina (KF/Al₂O₃) as a solid catalyst has been investigated in detail with respect to three different modes of reaction activation (ultrasound irradiation, microwave irradiation, and conventional heating) for obtaining maximum yield of the thioether. The importance of KF/Al₂O₃ as a particularly efficient catalyst was corroborated for all three modes of reaction activation, although the reaction time was found to be strongly dependent on the mode of activation. The yield of the thioethers was also found to depend on the amount of the solid catalyst relative to the equimolar amounts of the two reactants.