Microporous Biocarbons Derived from Inonotus obliquus Mushroom and Their Application in the Removal of Liquid and Gaseous Impurities

Microwave-Assisted Fabrication of Fugus-Based Biocarbons for Malachite Green and NO2 Removal

The aim of the current study was to produce biocarbons through the activation of carbon dioxide with the extraction residues of the fungus Inonotus obliquus. To achieve this goal, a microwave oven was used to apply three different activation temperatures: 500, 600, and 700 °C. Low-temperature nitrogen adsorption/desorption was employed to determine the elemental composition, acid-base properties, and textural parameters of the resulting carbon adsorbents. Subsequently, the produced biocarbons were evaluated for their efficiency in removing malachite green and NO2. The adsorbent obtained by activation of the precursor in 700 °C had a specific surface area of 743 m2/g. In the aqueous malachite green solution, the highest measured sorption capacity was 176 mg/g. Conversely, under dry conditions, the sorption capacity for NO2 on this biocarbon was 21.4 mg/g, and under wet conditions, it was 40.9 mg/g. According to the experimental findings, surface biocarbons had equal-energy active sites that interacted with the dye molecules. A pseudo-second-order kinetics model yielded the most accurate results, indicating that the adsorption of malachite green was driven by chemisorption. Additionally, the study demonstrates a clear correlation between the adsorption capacity of the biocarbons and the pH level of the solution, as it increases proportionately.

Exploring synergistic effects in physical-chemical activation of Acorus calamus for water treatment solutions

The research proposed a novel method of obtaining sorption material from readily available Acorus calamus biomass through a combination of physical and chemical activation processes. The material with the highest specific surface area (1652 m2 g-1) was obtained by physical activation with CO2, followed by chemical activation with KOH. Reversing the order of activation methods resulted in a lower specific surface area (1014 m2 g-1) of the carbon sample. Chemical activation produced activated carbon with a surface area of 1066 m2 g-1-, while physical activation produced 390 m2 g-1. This confirms the synergistic effect of combining the two activation methods for biocarbon. It was observed that physical activation with CO2 generates a diverse range of pores, including meso- and macropores, while chemical activation induces the formation of micropores. In contrast, reversing the order of these processes leads to the degradation of the porous structure. The application of physical-chemical activation with synergistic effects represents a significant advancement in producing high-quality activated biocarbon for various applications, such as wastewater treatment and energy storage. The combination of the two activation methods resulted in a synergistic effect, leading to the production of carbon material of higher quality. Additionally, the diversified pore sizes will enable the sorption of various pollutants in the aquatic environment and air pollutants, where gas particles are much smaller.