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.     

Kinetics of adsorption of dyes from aqueous solution using activated carbon prepared from waste apricot

Adsorbent (WA11Zn5) has been prepared from waste apricot by chemical activation with ZnCl(2). Pore properties of the activated carbon such as BET surface area, pore volume, pore size distribution, and pore diameter were characterized by N(2) adsorption and DFT plus software. Adsorption of three dyes, namely, Methylene Blue (MB), Malachite Green (MG), Crystal Violet (CV), onto activated carbon in aqueous solution was studied in a batch system with respect to contact time, temperature. The kinetics of adsorption of MB, MG and CV have been discussed using six kinetic models, i.e., the pseudo-first-order model, the pseudo-second-order model, the Elovich equation, the intraparticle diffusion model, the Bangham equation, the modified Freundlich equation. Kinetic parameters and correlation coefficients were determined. It was shown that the second-order kinetic equation could describe the adsorption kinetics for three dyes. The dyes uptake process was found to be controlled by external mass transfer at earlier stages (before 5 min) and by intraparticle diffusion at later stages (after 5 min). Thermodynamic parameters, such as DeltaG, DeltaH and DeltaS, have been calculated by using the thermodynamic equilibrium coefficient obtained at different temperatures and concentrations. The thermodynamics of dyes-WA11Zn5 system indicates endothermic process.     

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.     

Removal of direct blue-106 dye from aqueous solution using new activated carbons developed from pomegranate peel: adsorption equilibrium and kinetics

The use of cheap, high efficiency and ecofriendly adsorbent has been studied as an alternative source of activated carbon for the removal of dyes from wastewater. This study investigates the use of activated carbons prepared from pomegranate peel for the removal of direct blue dye from aqueous solution. A series of experiments were conducted in a batch system to assess the effect of the system variables, i.e. initial pH, temperature, initial dye concentration adsorbent dosage and contact time. The results showed that the adsorption of direct blue dye was maximal at pH 2, as the amount of adsorbent increased, the percentage of dye removal increased accordingly but it decreased with the increase in initial dye concentration and solution temperature. The adsorption kinetics was found to follow pseudo-second-order rate kinetic model, with a good correlation (R(2)>0.99) and intra-particle diffusion as one of the rate determining steps. Langmuir, Freundlich, Temkin, Dubinin-RadushKevich (D-R) and Harkins-Jura isotherms were used to analyze the equilibrium data at different temperatures. In addition, various thermodynamic parameters, such as standard Gibbs free energy (DeltaG degrees ), standard enthalpy (DeltaH degrees ), standard entropy (DeltaS degrees ), and the activation energy (E(a)) have been calculated. The adsorption process of direct blue dye onto different activated carbons prepared from pomegranate peel was found to be spontaneous and exothermic process. The findings of this investigation suggest that the physical sorption plays a role in controlling the sorption rate.     

Adsorption of bisphenol A from aqueous solution onto activated carbons with different modification treatments

Two commercial carbons (W20 and F20) had been selectively modified with nitric acid and thermal treatment under a flow of N(2) in present study to adsorb bisphenol A from aqueous solution. The results indicated that the experimental data were well described with pseudo-second-order kinetic model. W20 and its thermal modified sample (W20N) represented a better adsorption capacity, and the equilibrium adsorption amounts reached 382.12 and 432.34 mg/g, respectively. Further, effects of temperature, pH and ionic strength on bisphenol A adsorption onto W20 and W20N had been examined. It was found that the adsorbed amount of bisphenol A decreased with the increase of temperature from 288 to 318 K and changed little with the increase of pH from 5.0 to 9.0. At pH 11.0, the two activated carbons represented the weakest adsorption capacity. The adsorption capacities of bisphenol A onto W20 and W20N first decreased and then increased with the increasing of ionic strength.     

Equilibrium and kinetic studies on free cyanide adsorption from aqueous solution by activated carbon

Adsorption equilibrium and kinetics of free cyanide onto activated carbon were investigated in the batch tests, and the effects of contact time (1–72 h) and initial cyanide concentrations in the range of 102–532 mg/L were studied. Linear regression was used to determine the best fit of equilibrium and kinetics expressions. The two-parameter models including Freundlich, Dubinin–Radushkevich, Temkin and four different linearized forms of Langmuir and three-parameter models including Redlich–Peterson and Koble–Corrigan were employed for fitting the equilibrium data and it was found that, three-parameter models fitted the data better than the two-parameter models and among the three-parameter models the equilibrium data are best represented by Koble–Corrigan model. A number of kinetic models including fractional power, zero order, first order, pseudo-first order, Elovich, second order, intraparticle diffusion and four different linearized forms of pseudo-second order models were tested to fit the kinetic data. The latter was found to be consistent with the data. Intraparticle diffusion plots show that the adsorption process of free cyanide is a two steps process. In the first step, the adsorption of cyanide is fast while in the second step, cyanide adsorption slows down.     

Removal of nitroimidazole antibiotics from aqueous solution by adsorption/bioadsorption on activated carbon

The objective of the present study was to analyse the behaviour of activated carbon with different chemical and textural properties in nitroimidazole adsorption, also assessing the combined use of microorganisms and activated carbon in the removal of these compounds from waters and the influence of the chemical nature of the solution (pH and ionic strength) on the adsorption process. Results indicate that the adsorption of nitroimidazoles is largely determined by activated carbon chemical properties. Application of the Langmuir equation to the adsorption isotherms showed an elevated adsorption capacity (X_m = 1.04–2.04 mmol/g) for all contaminants studied. Solution pH and electrolyte concentration did not have a major effect on the adsorption of these compounds on activated carbon, confirming that the principal interactions involved in the adsorption of these compounds are non-electrostatic. Nitroimidazoles are not degraded by microorganisms used in the biological stage of a wastewater treatment plant. However, the presence of microorganisms during nitroimidazole adsorption increased their adsorption on the activated carbon, although it weakened interactions between the adsorbate and carbon surface. In dynamic regime, the adsorptive capacity of activated carbon was markedly higher in surface water and groundwater than in urban wastewaters.     

Removal of chromium(VI) from aqueous solution by activated carbons: kinetic and equilibrium studies

The objective of this study is to assess the uptake of hexavalent chromium (Cr(VI)) from aqueous solutions onto activated carbons (AC) produced from wood. Two activated carbons are tested, a KOH-activated carbon and a commercial H3PO4-activated carbon (Acticarbone CXV). The adsorption of Cr(VI) is maximal at the lowest values of pH (pH 3) and increases with temperature for both adsorbents. The KOH-activated carbon shows higher capacity for adsorption of Cr(VI) than Acticarbone. The sorption isotherms fit the Langmuir model accurately. The adsorption reaction was found to obey a pseudo second-order rate. The activation energy and the pre-exponential factor as well as the thermodynamic functions related to adsorption reaction, DeltaS degrees , DeltaH degrees , DeltaG degrees , were determined. Nevertheless, the global reaction rate is probably controlled by the intra-particular diffusion of Cr(VI) and the mass diffusivity of Cr(VI) was evaluated.     

Kinetics and thermodynamic of adsorption of chromium(VI) from aqueous solution using puresorbe

This paper deals with an investigation on coir-based adsorbent, puresorbe, in the removal of chromium(VI) from the aqueous solutions. The adsorption of chromium(VI) was carried out by varying the parameters such as agitation time, metal concentration, adsorbent dose, temperature and pH. The experimental isotherm data were analyzed using Langmuir, Freundlich and Redlich and Peterson isotherms. Adsorption followed second order rate expression for the particle size 250–500 μm at pH 2. The monolayer adsorption capacity is 76.92 mg chromium(VI) per gram of puresorbe. Thermodynamic parameters show the endothermic nature of chromium(VI) adsorption. Desorption study carried out using distilled water adjusted to pH of 2–10, suggests that chemisorption might be the mode of adsorption.     

Kinetics and mechanism of adsorption of methylene blue from aqueous solution by nitric-acid treated water-hyacinth

Kinetics adsorption experiments were conducted to evaluate the adsorption characteristics of a cationic dye (methylene blue, MB) onto nitric-acid treated water-hyacinth (N-WH). Results showed that N-WH can remove MB effectively from aqueous solution. The loading of MB onto N-WH was found to increase significantly with increasing the initial MB concentration, but the residual concentration of MB in solution also increased. A complete removal of MB from solution was only achieved at the lower range of initial MB concentration (less than 286 mg/L). Temperature had a slight effect on the amount adsorbed at equilibrium. The adsorption rate was fast and more than half of the adsorbed-MB was removed in the first 15 min at room temperature, which makes the process practical for industrial application. The adsorption kinetics at room temperature could be expressed by the pseudo second order model, while at higher temperatures (45-80 degrees C) and low MB concentration (97 mg/L) both Lagergren's model and the pseudo second order model can be used to predict the kinetics of adsorption. The overall rate of dye uptake was found to be controlled by external mass transfer at the beginning of adsorption, then gradually changed to intraparticle diffusion control at a later stage. The initial period where external mass transfer is the rate controlling step was found to increase with increasing initial MB concentration and decrease with increasing temperature. The increase in temperature was also found to increase the rate of adsorption and reduce the time required to reach equilibrium. The initial rate of adsorption, h(o), was calculated, it was found to increase with increasing temperature, while the increase in MB concentration decreased h(o) at the lower concentration range then increased h(o) again at high concentration. The value of the activation coefficient, E, was found to be 8.207 kJ/mol, which indicates a diffusion controlled process.     

Removal of congo red from aqueous solution by adsorption onto acid activated red mud

The objective of this study is to remove the congo red (CR) anionic dye, from water by using the acid activated red mud in batch adsorption experiments. The effects of contact time, pH, adsorbent dosage and initial dye concentration on the adsorption were investigated. The pH of the dye solution strongly affected the chemistry of both the dye molecules and activated red mud in an aqueous solution. The effective pH was 7.0 for adsorption on activated red mud. It was found that the sufficient time to attain equilibrium was 90 min. The adsorption isotherms were analyzed using the Langmuir, the Freundlich, and the three parameter Redlich-Peterson isotherms. The Langmuir isotherm was the best-fit adsorption isotherm model for the experimental data obtained from the non-linear chi-square statistic test.     

Arsenic adsorption from aqueous solution on synthetic zeolites

The adsorption of arsenic from aqueous solution on synthetic zeolites H-MFI-24 (H24) and H-MFI-90 (H90) with MFI topology has been investigated at room temperature (r.t) applying batch equilibrium techniques. The influences of different sorption parameters such as contact time, solution pH, initial arsenic concentration and temperature were also studied thoroughly in order to optimize the reaction conditions. The adsorption of arsenic on to H24 and H90 follows the first-order kinetics and equilibrium time was about 100min for both the adsorbents. The first-order rate constant (k), 4.7 x 10(-3)min(-1) for H90 is more than two times higher in magnitude compared to 2.1 x 10(-3)min(-1) for H24. Adsorption performance of H90 is higher compared to H24 due to it's highly mesoporous nature which in turn accelerates the diffusion process during adsorption. As(V) sorption capacity derived from Langmuir isotherm for H24 and H90 are 0.0358 and 0.0348gg(-1), respectively. Arsenic uptake was also quantitatively evaluated using the Freundlich and Dubinin-Kaganer-Radushkevich (DKR) isotherm models. Ion exchange between adsorbent's terminal aluminol groups with different predominant forms of arsenate in solution is one of the various important reactions occurred during adsorption process.     

Modeling studies on simultaneous adsorption of phenol and resorcinol onto granular activated carbon from simulated aqueous solution

The modelling study on simultaneous adsorption of phenol and resorcinol onto granular activated carbon (GAC) in multicomponent solution was carried out at 303K by conducting batch experiments at initial concentration range of 100-1000 mg/l. Three equilibrium isotherm models for multicomponent adsorption studies were considered. In order to determine the parameters of multicomponent adsorption isotherms, individual adsorption studies of phenol and resorcinol on GAC were also carried out. The experimental data of single and multicomponent adsorption were fitted to these models. The parameters of multicomponent models were estimated using error minimization technique on MATLAB R2007a. It has been observed that for low initial concentration of adsorbate (100-200mg/l), modified Langmuir model represents the data very well with the adsorption constant (Q(0)), 216.1, 0.032 and average relative error (ARE) of 8.34, 8.31 for phenol and resorcinol respectively. Whereas, for high initial concentration of adsorbate (400-1000 mg/l), extended Freundlich model represents the data very well with adsorption constant (K(F)) of 25.41, 24.25 and ARE of 7.0, 6.46 for phenol and resorcinol respectively. The effect of pH of solution, adsorbent dose and initial concentrations of phenol and resorcinol on adsorption behaviour was also investigated.     

Chromium(VI) adsorption from aqueous solution by Hevea Brasilinesis sawdust activated carbon

Adsorption capacity of Cr(VI) onto Hevea Brasilinesis (Rubber wood) sawdust activated carbon was investigated in a batch system by considering the effects of various parameters like contact time, initial concentration, pH and temperature. Cr(VI) removal is pH dependent and found to be maximum at pH 2.0. Increases in adsorption capacity with increase in temperature indicate that the adsorption reaction is endothermic. Based on this study, the thermodynamic parameters like standard Gibb's free energy (DeltaG degrees ), standard enthalpy (DeltaH degrees ) and standard entropy (DeltaS degrees ) were evaluated. Adsorption kinetics of Cr(VI) ions onto rubber wood sawdust activated carbon were analyzed by pseudo first-order and pseudo second-order models. Pseudo second-order model was found to explain the kinetics of Cr(VI) adsorption most effectively. Intraparticle diffusion studies at different temperatures show that the mechanism of adsorption is mainly dependent on diffusion. The rate of intraparticle diffusion, film diffusion coefficient and pore diffusion coefficient at various temperatures were evaluated. The Langmuir, Freundlich and Temkin isotherm were used to describe the adsorption equilibrium studies of rubber wood sawdust activated carbon at different temperatures. Langmuir isotherm shows better fit than Freundlich and Temkin isotherm in the temperature range studied. The result shows that the rubber wood sawdust activated carbon can be efficiently used for the treatment of wastewaters containing chromium as a low cost alternative compared to commercial activated carbon and other adsorbents reported.     

Gas-liquid hybrid discharge-induced degradation of diuron in aqueous solution

Degradation of diuron in aqueous solution by gas-liquid hybrid discharge was investigated for the first time. The effect of output power intensity, pH value, Fe(2+) concentration, Cu(2+) concentration, initial conductivity and air flow rate on the degradation efficiency of diuron was examined. The results showed that the degradation efficiency of diuron increased with increasing output power intensity and increased with decreasing pH values. In the presence of Fe(2+), the degradation efficiency of diuron increased with increasing Fe(2+) concentration. The degradation efficiency of diuron was decreased during the first 4 min and increased during the last 10 min with adding of Cu(2+). Decreasing the initial conductivity and increasing the air flow rate were favorable for the degradation of diuron. Degradation of diuron by gas-liquid hybrid discharge fitted first-order kinetics. The pH value of the solution decreased during the reaction process. Total organic carbon removal rate increased in the presence of Fe(2+) or Cu(2+). The generated Cl(-1), NH(4)(+), NO(3)(-), oxalic acid, acetic acid and formic acid during the degradation process were also detected. Based on the detected Cl(-1) and other intermediates, a possible degradation pathway of diuron was proposed.     

金属化合物对煤岩显微组分所制活性炭吸附性能的影响

研究了Ni2O3,Fe2O3等金属化合物对太西无烟煤和大同烟煤分离富集镜质组、丝质组所制活性炭吸附性能的影响。研究结果表明：金属化合物能显著加快太西无烟煤显微组份的活化反应速度，部分金属化合物可以提高太西无烟煤显微组分所制活性炭的吸附性能，但对大同烟煤显微组分所制活性炭的性能影响不大，其因在于大同烟煤的反应性高于太西无烟煤。加入金属化合物提高无烟煤显微组份活化反应速度的主要原由是金属化合物对碳与水蒸气活化反应有一定的催化作用，使活化活性点增加，进而提高了活化反应效率；而能否提高活性炭的吸附性能则与金属化合物和煤岩显微组分的性质有关。     

Adsorption of aqueous metal ions on cattle-manure-compost based activated carbons

The objective of this study is to examine the suitability and performance of cattle-manure-compost (CMC) based activated carbons in removing heavy metal ions from aqueous solution. The influence of ZnCl₂ activation ratios and solution pH on the removal of Cu(II) and Pb(II) were studied. Pore texture, available surface functional groups, pH of point zero charge (pH_PZC), thermogravimetric analysis and elemental compositions were obtained to characterize the activated carbons. Batch adsorption technique was used to determine the metal-binding ability of activated carbons. The equilibrium data were characterized using Langmuir, Freundlich and Redlich–Peterson models. It was found that the uptake of aqueous metal ions by activated carbons could be well described by Langmuir equation. It is suggested that the increase of surface area and mesopore ratio as a result of increasing activation ratios favored the removal of Cu(II), while activated carbon rich in acidic groups showed selective adsorption towards Pb(II). The preferable removal of Cu(II) over Pb(II) could be due to the rich nitrogen content as well as the higher mesoporous surface area in the CMC activated carbons. The impregnated CMC activated carbons also showed a better performance for Cu(II) removal at varying solution pH than Filtrasorb 400 (F400), while a similar performance was observed for Pb(II) removal.     

Liquid-phase adsorption of phenols using activated carbons derived from agricultural waste material

Physical and chemical properties of activated carbons prepared from coconut shells (SAC and ATSAC) were studied. The adsorption equilibria and kinetics of phenol and 2,4-dichlorophenol from aqueous solutions on such carbons were then examined at three different temperatures (10, 25 and 40 °C). Adsorption of both phenol and 2,4-dichlorophenol increased with an increase in temperature. The experimental data were analyzed using the Langmuir and Freundlich isotherm models. Both the isotherm models adequately fit the adsorption data for both the phenols. The carbon developed through the acid treatment of coconut shells (ATSAC) exhibited relatively higher monolayer adsorption capacity for phenol (0.53 mmol g⁻¹) and 2,4-dichlorophenol (0.31 mmol g⁻¹) as compared to that developed by thermal activation (SAC) with adsorption capacity of 0.36 and 0.20 mmol g⁻¹, for phenol and 2,4-dichlorophenol, respectively. The equilibrium sorption and kinetics model parameters and thermodynamic functions were estimated and discussed. The thermodynamic parameters (free energy, enthalpy and entropy changes) exhibited the feasibility and spontaneous nature of the adsorption process. The sorption kinetics was studied using the pseudo-first-order and second-order kinetics models. The adsorption kinetics data for both the phenol and 2,4-dichlorophenol fitted better to the second-order model. An attempt was also made to identify the rate-limiting step involved in the adsorption process. Results of mass transfer analysis suggested the endothermic nature of the reaction and change in the mechanism with time and initial concentration of the adsorbate. The results of the study show that the activated carbons derived from coconut shells can be used as potential adsorbent for phenols in water/wastewater.     

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.