Preparation and Characterization of Activated Carbons from Terminalia Arjuna Nut with Zinc Chloride Activation for the Removal of Phenol from Wastewater

Immobilization of lead(Ⅱ) and zinc(Ⅱ) onto glomalin-related soil protein (GRSP): Adsorption properties and interaction mechanisms

Glomalin-related soil protein (GRSP), a microbial product that can be used as a bioflocculant, is critical to metal sequestration in the ecosystem. However, the relationship between GRSP and heavy metal has not been well explored. In this study, the adsorption behaviors and mechanisms of Pb(II) and Zn(II) ions on GRSP were investigated. Results reveal that the Pb(II) and Zn(II) adsorption closely conform to the pseudo second-order model, which indicates that the chemisorption of GRSP occurred after intra-particle diffusion. The adsorption process is influenced by the degree of pollution, pH value, GRSP content in the environment. In addition, scanning electron microscopy coupled with microanalysis (SEM-EDX) reveals that the surface structure of GRSP is irregularly blocky or flaky and metal ions are uniformly distributed on the surface of GRSP. Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis show that the carboxyl and nitro groups on GRSP act as ligands to form complexes with two divalent metal ions. The interaction between GRSP and the metals is mainly surface complexation. This research further reveals the dynamic response of its structural components when GRSP sequestrates heavy metals in mangrove sediment and aqueous ecosystems, demonstrating a new perspective for the transport and transformation of heavy metals onto GRSP.

Graphitic Sulphur Functionalized Carbon Sheets as an Efficient “Turn-Off” Absorption Probe for the Optical Sensing of Mercury Ions in Aqueous Solutions

India is one of the world's largest producers of coconut, with a turn-over of 11,706,343 tones (11,521,459 long tons) in 2018 according to the data reported by Food and Agricultural...

Nanoarchitectonics of Lotus Seed Derived Nanoporous Carbon Materials for Supercapacitor Applications

Of the available environmentally friendly energy storage devices, supercapacitors are the most promising because of their high energy density, ultra-fast charging-discharging rate, outstanding cycle life, cost-effectiveness, and safety. In this work, nanoporous carbon materials were prepared by applying zinc chloride activation of lotus seed powder from 600 °C to 1000 °C and the electrochemical energy storage (supercapacitance) of the resulting materials in aqueous electrolyte (1M H₂SO₄) are reported. Lotus seed-derived activated carbon materials display hierarchically porous structures comprised of micropore and mesopore architectures, and exhibited excellent supercapacitance performances. The specific surface areas and pore volumes were found in the ranges 1103.0–1316.7 m² g⁻¹ and 0.741–0.887 cm³ g⁻¹, respectively. The specific capacitance of the optimum sample was ca. 317.5 F g⁻¹ at 5 mV s⁻¹ and 272.9 F g⁻¹ at 1 A g⁻¹ accompanied by high capacitance retention of 70.49% at a high potential sweep rate of 500 mV s⁻¹. The electrode also showed good rate capability of 52.1% upon increasing current density from 1 to 50 A g⁻¹ with exceptional cyclic stability of 99.2% after 10,000 cycles demonstrating the excellent prospects for agricultural waste stuffs, such as lotus seed, in the production of the high performance porous carbon materials required for supercapacitor applications.

Biomass-Based Activated Carbon and Activators: Preparation of Activated Carbon from Corncob by Chemical Activation with Biomass Pyrolysis Liquids

Pyrolysis liquids are the main products in biomass pyrolysis, and the strong acidity limits its utilization. Likewise, activators are required in the process of preparing biomass-based activated carbon, and current activators are usually chemical agents and not sustainable. Both issues are addressed with the new concept of using acidic pyrolysis liquids as the activator of biomass-based activated carbon. In the present research, corncob-based activated carbon was prepared with phosphoric acid and pyrolysis liquids (bio-oil and wood vinegar) as activators. The effects of activation temperature and the types of activators on the structure and surface chemical properties of activated carbon were investigated. Results show that the adsorption performance and specific surface area of activated carbon prepared with bio-oil are not as good as that prepared with phosphoric acid and wood vinegar, but its yield is relatively high. Some alkali and earth alkaline metals remain on the activated carbon prepared by bio-oil and wood vinegar. At 450 °C, the surface area and pore volume of activated carbon prepared with bio-oil and wood vinegar were much smaller than the ones prepared with phosphoric acid. Increasing the activation temperature may improve the performance of activated carbon. The specific surface area of activated carbon prepared with wood vinegar as the activator can reach 384.35 m²/g at an activation temperature of 850 °C, which is slightly inferior to that prepared with phosphoric acid as the activator. However, the adsorption amount of methylene blue exceeds the activated carbon prepared with phosphoric acid. This shows that wood vinegar can be used as an activator to prepare biomass-based activated carbon to achieve sustainability of the entire preparation process of biomass-based activated carbon.

Application and Properties of Microporous Carbons Activated by ZnCl2: Adsorption Behavior and Activation Mechanism

Herein, polypyrrole-based porous carbon (PPC) was prepared by ZnCl₂ activation for toluene adsorption from paraffin liquid. The structure properties were adjusted by a dosage of activating agents and carbonization temperature. The result with a 3:1 mass ratio of ZnCl₂/PPy at 600 °C showed the highest micropore area and percentage of micropore volume of 1105 m²/g and 86.26%, respectively. In addition, the PPC surface was rich in functional groups and obtained a high N-doped content from 7.00 to 8.82%. The toluene adsorption behavior onto the PPC was comprehensively investigated including isotherms, kinetics, and thermodynamics. The adsorption isotherm accorded with the Freundlich model well, and the kinetic model was fitted more closely to the pseudo-second-order chemisorption. The thermodynamic research uncovered that the adsorption was spontaneous and an endothermic process in essence. The ZnCl₂ activation mechanism is discussed based on TG/TGA curves and pore structure analysis at last. The devised way of synthesized microporous carbon is green and simple, which is suited to mass production for the adsorption of toluene from paraffin liquid and reducing environmental pollution.

Carbon Nanoflakes and Nanotubes from Halloysite Nanoclays and their Superior Performance in CO2 Capture and Energy Storage

Nanoporous carbon (HNC) with a flake and nanotubular morphology and a high specific surface area is prepared by using natural halloysite nanotubes (HNTs), a low-cost and naturally available clay material with a mixture of flaky and tubular morphology. A controlled pore-filling technique is used to selectively control the porosity, morphology, and the specific surface area of the HNC. Activated nanoporous carbon (AHNC) with a high specific surface area is also prepared by using HNT together with the activation process with zinc chloride (ZnCl₂). HNC exhibits flakes and tubular morphologies, which offer a high specific surface area (837 m²/g). The specific surface area of AHNC is 1646 m²/g, 74 times greater than the specific surface area of pure HNT (22.5 m²/g). These data revealed that the single-step activation combined with the nanotemplating results in creating a huge impact on the specific surface area of the HNC. Both HNC and AHNC are employed as adsorbents for CO₂ adsorption at different pressures and adsorption temperatures. The CO₂ adsorption capacity of AHNC is 25.7 mmol/g at 0 °C, which is found to be significantly higher than that of activated carbon (AC), mesoporous carbon (CMK-3), mesoporous carbon nitride (MCN-1), and multiwalled carbon nanotube (MWCNT). AHNC is also tested as an electroactive material and demonstrates good supercapacitance, cyclic stability, and high capacitance retention. Specific capacitance of AHNC in the aqueous electrolyte is 197 F/g at 0.3 A/g, which is higher than that of AC, MWCNT, and CMK-3. The technique adopted for the preparation of both HNC and AHNC is quite unique and simple, has the potential to replace the existing highly expensive and sophisticated mesoporous silica-based nanotemplating strategy, and could also be applied for the fabrication of series of advanced nanostructures with unique functionalities.

Thermodynamic spectral and kinetic analysis of the removal of Cu(II) from aqueous solution by sodium carbonate treated rice husk

A new adsorbent for removing copper ions from aqueous solutions has been developed and characterized. The present study deals with the sorption of Cu(II) from aqueous solution on chemically pretreated sodium carbonate-treated rice husk (SCRH). The physico-chemical characteristics of rice husks were investigated to analyze their suitability to adsorb Cu(II) ions from water and wastewater. The raw rice husk (RRH), SCRH and Cu(II) adsorbed rice husk were analyzed by SEM-EDAX analysis. FTIR spectroscopy was also applied to identify functional groups, capable of adsorbing metal ions. Batch kinetic studies were conducted for the adsorption of Cu(II) on SCRH. It has been observed that 92.9-96.0% removal of Cu(II) is achieved at 4.8 mg of Cu(II)/g of adsorbent, adsorbent dose of 10 g L^-1 and initial Cu(II) concentration of 10 mg L^-1 in a temperature range of 15-50 °C. It was observed that the adsorption of Cu(II) on SCRH followed pseudo second-order kinetic and time to achieve equilibrium was found to be 60 min. The maximum uptake (97%) of Cu (II) was observed at pH 6. In this paper, an attempt has also been made to develop simple and readily understandable thermodynamic parameters related to sorption process at the equilibrium for understanding the adsorption mechanism. The Gibbs free energy ΔG° values for the adsorption processes of Cu(II) at 15, 30, 40 and 50 °C were calculated as -6.16, -6.84, -8.01 and -8.53 kJ mol^-1, respectively. The negative value of ΔG° indicates spontaneity of adsorption. The values of ΔH° and ΔS° for Cu(II) adsorption were calculated as 14.37 kJ mol^-1 and 70.92 J K^-1 mol^-1, respectively. The activation energy for the adsorption of Cu(II) was found to be 9 kJ mol^-1 which is a characteristic for diffusion limited processes.

Hierarchical porous carbon derived from recycled waste filter paper as high-performance supercapacitor electrodes

Hierarchical activated porous carbon (APC) was synthesized through convenient chemical activation with ZnCl₂ using recycled waste filter paper as the carbon precursor.

Fluorescent carbon quantum dots, capacitance and catalysis active porous carbon microspheres from beer

Fluorescent nitrogen containing carbon quantum dots (NCQDs) and porous carbon microspheres (PCMs) were simultaneously synthesized by a facile hydrothermal method using beer as precursor.

Individual and competitive adsorption of phenol and nickel onto multiwalled carbon nanotubes

Individual and competitive adsorption studies were carried out to investigate the removal of phenol and nickel ions by adsorption onto multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs). The carbon nanotubes were characterized by different techniques such as X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, thermal analysis and Fourier transformation infrared spectroscopy. The different experimental conditions affecting the adsorption process were investigated. Kinetics and equilibrium models were tested for fitting the adsorption experimental data. The characterization experimental results proved that the studied adsorbent possess different surface functional groups as well as typical morphological features. The batch experiments revealed that 300 min of contact time was enough to achieve equilibrium for the adsorption of both phenol and nickel at an initial adsorbate concentration of 25 mg/l, an adsorbent dosage of 5 g/l, and a solution pH of 7. The adsorption of phenol and nickel by MWCNTs followed the pseudo-second order kinetic model and the intraparticle diffusion model was quite good in describing the adsorption mechanism. The Langmuir equilibrium model fitted well the experimental data indicating the homogeneity of the adsorbent surface sites. The maximum Langmuir adsorption capacities were found to be 32.23 and 6.09 mg/g, for phenol and Ni ions, respectively. The removal efficiency of MWCNTs for nickel ions or phenol in real wastewater samples at the optimum conditions reached up to 60% and 70%, respectively.

Adsorption of methylene blue onto activated carbon produced from tea (Camellia sinensis L.) seed shells: kinetics, equilibrium, and thermodynamics studies

Tea (Camellia sinensis L.) seed shells, the main byproduct of the manufacture of tea seed oil, were used as precursors for the preparation of tea activated carbon (TAC) in the present study. A high yield (44.1%) of TAC was obtained from tea seed shells via a one-step chemical method using ZnCl2 as an agent. The Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) surface area and the total pore volumes of the obtained TAC were found to be 1530.67 mg(2)/g and 0.7826 cm(3)/g, respectively. The equilibrium adsorption results were complied with Langmuir isotherm model and its maximum monolayer adsorption capacity was 324.7 mg/g for methylene blue. Adsorption kinetics studies indicated that the pseudo-second-order model yielded the best fit for the kinetic data. An intraparticle diffusion model suggested that the intraparticle diffusion was not the only rate-controlling step. Thermodynamics studies revealed the spontaneous and exothermic nature of the sorption process. These results indicate that tea seed shells could be utilized as a renewable resource to develop activated carbon which is a potential adsorbent for methylene blue.

A method for creating microporous carbon materials with excellent CO2-adsorption capacity and selectivity

A new synthetic approach for the fabrication of microporous carbon materials (HCMs) by using discrete chelating zinc species as dynamic molecular porogens to create extra micropores that enhance their CO2-adsorption capacity and selectivity is reported. During the carbonization process, the evaporation of the in situ-formed Zn species would create additional nanochannels that contribute to the additional micropore volume for CO2 adsorption. The resultant HCMs show an increased number of micropores, with sizes in the range 0.7-1.0 nm and a high CO2 -adsorption capacity of 5.4 mmol g(-1) (23.8 wt%) at 273 K and 3.8 mmol g(-1) (16.7 wt%) at 298 K and 1 bar, which are superior to those of most carbon-based adsorbents with N-doping or high specific surface areas. Dynamic gas-separation measurements, by using 16% CO2 in N2 (v/v) as a feedstock, demonstrated that CO2 could be effectively separated from N2 under ambient conditions and shows a high separation factor (S(CO2)/N2=110) for CO2 over N2, thereby reflecting a strongly competitive CO2 -adsorption capacity. If the feedstock contained water vapor, the dynamic capacity of CO2 was almost identical to that measured under dry conditions, thus indicating that the carbon material had excellent tolerance to humidity. Easy CO2 release could be realized by purging an argon flow through the fixed-bed adsorber at 298 K, thus indicating good regeneration ability.

Convenient synthesis of porous carbon nanospheres with tunable pore structure and excellent adsorption capacity

A novel adsorbent, porous carbon nanosphere (PCNS), was conveniently prepared by the chemical activation of hydrothermally synthesized carbon nanosphere (CNS) with ZnCl2. The obtained PCNS materials were characterized by X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, N2 sorption technology and transmission electron microscope, and the results indicated that these materials possessed superior porosity with high surface area and large pore volume, in the meantime maintaining the nanospherical morphologies. Moreover, the porous structure of PCNS can be tuned from micropores to mesopores by adjusting the mass ratio of ZnCl2/CNS and the activation temperature. The porous structure endued PCNS excellent performance for the adsorption of bulky dyes from aqueous solution. Detailed adsorption behaviors of the optimized PCNS material, including adsorption isotherms and adsorption kinetics, were investigated. The experimental data of equilibrium adsorption capacity well matched Langmuir isotherms, and the maximum adsorption amounts of methylene blue, malachite green and rhodamine B were calculated as 3152, 1455 and 1409 mg g(-1), respectively, which were much higher than those of activated carbon and mesoporous carbon. The kinetic data were fitted to the models of pseudo-first-order and pseudo-second-order, which followed more closely the pseudo-second-order chemisorptions model. In addition, PCNS exhibited a good reusable property after five consecutive cycles.

Determining optimal conditions to produce activated carbon from barley husks using single or dual optimization

When producing activated carbons from agricultural by-products, certain properties, such as yield and specific surface area, are very important for obtaining an economical and promising adsorbent material. Nevertheless, many researchers have not simultaneously optimized these properties and have obtained different optimal conditions for the production of activated carbon that either increases specific surface area but decreases yield or vice versa. In this research, the production of activated carbon from barley husks (BH) by chemical activation with zinc chloride was optimized by using a 2(3) factorial design with replicates at the central point, followed by a central composite design with two responses (the yield and iodine number) and three factors (the activation temperature, activation time, and impregnation ratio). Both responses were simultaneously optimized by using the desirability functions approach to determine the optimal conditions of this process. The findings reveal that after the simultaneous dual optimization, the maximal response values were obtained at an activation temperature of 436 °C, an activation time of 20 min, and an impregnation ratio of 1.1 g ZnCl₂/g BH, although the results after the single optimization of each response were quite different. At these conditions, the predicted values for the iodine number and yield were 829.58 ± 78.30 mg/g and 46.82 ± 2.64%, respectively, whereas experimental tests produced values of 901.86 mg/g and 48.48%, respectively. Moreover, activated carbons from BH obtained at the optimal conditions primarily developed a porous structure (mesopores > 71% and micropores > 28%), achieving a high surface area (811.44 m(2)/g) that is similar to commercial activated carbons and lignocellulosic-based activated carbons. These results imply that the pore width and surface area are large enough to allow the diffusion and adsorption of pollutants inside the adsorbent particles. In summary, two responses were optimized to determine the optimal conditions for the production of activated carbons because it is possible to increase both the specific surface area and yield.

Preparation of activated carbon from dried pods of Prosopis cineraria with zinc chloride activation for the removal of phenol

Utilization of agrowaste materials for the production of activated carbon, as an excellent adsorbent with large surface area, is well established industrially, for dephenolation of wastewater. In the present work, dried pods of Prosopis cineraria-a novel and low-cost agrowaste material-were used to prepare activated carbons by zinc chloride activation. Batch adsorption experiments were carried out to study the effects of various physicochemical parameters such as initial phenol concentration, adsorbent dose, initial solution pH, and temperature. Pseudo-first-order second-order and diffusion kinetic models were used to identify the possible mechanisms of such adsorption process. The Langmuir and Freundlich equations were used to analyze the adsorption equilibrium. Maximum removal efficiency of 86 % was obtained with 25 mg L(-1) of initial phenol concentration. The favorable pH for maximum phenol adsorption was 4.0. Freundlich equation represented the adsorption equilibrium data more ideally than the Langmuir. The maximum adsorption capacity obtained was 78.32 mg g(-1) at a temperature of 30 °C and 25 mg L(-1) initial phenol concentration. The adsorption was spontaneous and endothermic. The pseudo-second-order model, an indication of chemisorption mechanism, fitted the experimental data better than the pseudo-first-order Lagergren model. Regeneration of spent activated carbon was carried out using Pseudomonas putida MTCC 2252 as the phenol-degrading microorganism. Maximum regeneration up to 57.5 % was recorded, when loaded phenol concentration was 25 mg L(-1). The data obtained in this study would be useful in designing and fabricating an efficient treatment plant for phenol-rich effluents.

Quick photo-Fenton degradation of phenolic compounds by Cu/Al2O3-MCM-41 under visible light irradiation: small particle size, stabilization of copper, easy reducibility of Cu and visible light active material

The present study reports the photo-Fenton degradation of phenolic compounds (phenol, 2-chloro-4-nitrophenol and 4-chloro-2-nitrophenol) in aqueous solution using mesoporous Cu/Al(2)O(3)-MCM-41 nanocomposite as a heterogeneous photo-Fenton-like catalyst. The in situ incorporation of mesoporous Al(2)O(3) (MA) into the framework of MCM-41 (sol-gel method) forms Al(2)O(3)-MCM-41 and wetness impregnation of Cu(II) on Al(2)O(3)-MCM-41 generates mesoporous Cu/Al(2)O(3)-MCM-41 composite. The effects of pH and H(2)O(2) concentration on degradation of phenol, 2-chloro-4-nitrophenol and 4-chloro-2-nitrophenol are studied. Kinetics analysis shows that the photocatalytic degradation reaction follows a first-order rate equation. Mesoporous 5 Cu/Al(2)O(3)-MCM-41 is found to be an efficient photo-Fenton-like catalyst for the degradation of phenolic compounds. It shows nearly 100% degradation in 45 min at pH 4. The combined effect of small particle size, stabilization of Cu(2+) on the support Al(2)O(3)-MCM-41, ease reducibility of Cu(2+) and visible light activeness are the key factors for quick degradation of phenolic compounds by Cu/Al(2)O(3)-MCM-41.

Adsorption of phenol and o-chlorophenol by mesoporous MCM-41

Water pollution by toxic organic compounds is of concern and the demand for effective adsorbents for the removal of toxic compounds is increasing. Present work deals with the adsorption of phenol (PhOH) and o-chlorophenol (o-CP) on mesoporous MCM-41 material. The effect of surfactant template in MCM-41 on the removal of PhOH and o-CP was investigated. The comparison of adsorption of PhOH and o-CP on uncalcined MCM-41 (noted as MCM-41) and calcined MCM-41 (noted as C-MCM-41) was investigated. It was found that MCM-41 shows significant adsorption for PhOH and o-CP as compared to C-MCM-41, this may be because of the hydrophobicity created by surfactant template in the MCM-41. Batch adsorption studies were carried out to study the effect of various parameters like adsorbent dose, pH, initial concentration and the presence of co-existing ions. It was found that adsorption of PhOH and o-CP depends upon the solution pH as well as co-existing ions present in the aqueous solution. The equilibrium adsorption data for PhOH and o-CP was analyzed by using Freundlich adsorption isotherm model. From the sorption studies it was observed that the uptake of o-CP was higher than PhOH.

Column performance of granular activated carbon packed bed for Pb(II) removal

The excessive release of lead from lead acid batteries, smelting plant into the environment is a major concern worldwide. Adsorption process is among the most effective techniques for lead removal from wastewater and activated carbon has been widely used as an adsorbent. In this paper an attempt has been made to investigate the adsorption behaviour of Pb(II) from aqueous systems onto granular activated carbon using the batch mode and continuous mode in a packed bed column with more successive service and regeneration. The experiments were performed at constant temperature and dimensions of column and packed bed of granular activated carbon with variation of flows through the bed and concentrations of lead solutions. Breakthrough points were found out for the adsorption of lead on the adsorbent using continuous-flow column operation by varying different operating parameters like hydraulic loading rate from 4 to 16 m(3)/h m(2) and feed concentrates from 20 to 60 mg/l. Granular activated carbon column regeneration using 0.5 M concentration of HNO(3) has been investigated. Results indicate encouraging performance towards removal of Pb(II).

Catalytic ozonation of phenolic wastewater with activated carbon fiber in a fluid bed reactor

The effect of activated carbon fiber (ACF) on the ozonation of phenol in water in a fluid bed reactor was investigated. It was observed that this combined process could increase the yield of the oxidation process significantly for phenol and COD (chemical oxygen demand) removal, especially for the phenol removal. The efficiency of ozonation increased with an increase in the dose of ACF. Higher initial phenol concentration only caused a slight decrease of phenol and COD removal. The results of repeated use found that ozonation could efficiently regenerate ACF in situ in the reactor, which was considered easy to handle without the costly ex situ regeneration of the industrial treatment process. The Boehm titrations and FTIR studies indicate that the ozonation process in water can significantly change the composition of acidic surface oxygen-containing groups of ACF, leading to the increase of carboxylic, hydroxylic, and carbonylic groups and the slight decrease of the lactonic groups. Furthermore, this process can also increase the surface area and total pore volume of ACF. Due to the new micropore formation and some pore enlargement, the micropores became smaller, and the mesopores and macropores got bigger.