Porous material based on modified carbon and the effect of pore size distribution on the adsorption of methylene blue dye from an aqueous solution

Carbon porous materials obtained through KOH activation of a furfural + hydroquinone + urotropine mixture were applied as adsorbent for the remediation of methylene blue (MB). The impact of porous structure with special attention to pore size distribution along with well-known pore volume and specific surface area on the remediation of MB was well investigated and elucidated. Findings obtained revealed that pore size distribution plays a crucial role in the liquid-phase adsorption of organic dyes like MB. By varying the synthesis mode parameters, in particular, the activating agent/precursor mass ratio, with the composition and initial components ratios remaining unchanged, samples with different pore size distribution were obtained. It was found that the material predominantly containing pores with an average equivalent diameter of ~ 3.5 nm appears to be the efficient MB adsorbent. The resulting highly porous carbon materials demonstrated high MB adsorption capacity (up to 2555 mg/g). Furthermore, to fully elucidate the adsorption mechanisms occurring on the obtained materials, a comprehensive mathematical processing of experimental data was performed out using the known kinetic and diffusion models (pseudo-first- and pseudo-second order, and intraparticle diffusion), as well as adsorption equilibrium isotherm models (Langmuir, Freundlich, Temkin, and Dubinin-Radushkevich).It can be concluded that the porous carbon materials obtained and described in the present work are effective adsorbents for the removal of MB and may possess great potential for the treatment of dye-containing wastewater.

Nanoporous carbon materials as a sustainable alternative for the remediation of toxic impurities and environmental contaminants: A review

Due to rapidly deteriorating water resources, the world is looking forward to a sustainable alternative for the remediation of noxious pollutants such as heavy metals and organic and gaseous contaminants. To address this global issue of environmental pollution, nanoporous carbon materials (NPCMs) can be used as a one-stop solution. They are widely applied as adsorbents for many toxic impurities and environmental contaminants. The present review provides a detailed overview of the role of different synthesis factors on the porous characteristics of carbon materials, activating agents, reagent-precursor ratio and their potential application in the remediation. Findings revealed that synthetic parameters result in the formation of microporous NPCMs (S_BET: >4000 m³/g; V_Total (cm³/g) ≥ 2; V_Micro (cm³/g) ≥ 1), micromesoporous (S_BET: >2500 m³/g; V_Total (cm³/g) ≥ 1.5; V_Micro (cm³/g) ≥ 0.7) and mesoporous (S_BET: >2500 m³/g; V_Total (cm³/g) ≥ 1.5; V_Micro (cm³/g) ≥ 0.5) NPCMs. Moreover, it was observed that a narrow pore size distribution (0.5-2.0 nm) yields excellent results in the remediation of noxious contaminants. Further, chemical activating agents such as NaOH, KOH, ZnCl₂, and H₃PO₄ were compared. It was observed that activating agents KОН, H₃PO₄, and ZnCl₂ were generally used and played a significant role in the possible large-scale production and commercialization of NPCMs. Thus, it can be interpreted that with a well-planned strategy for the synthesis, NPCMs with a "tuned" porosity for a specific application, in particular, microporosity for the accumulation and adsorption of energetically important gases (CO₂, CH₄, H₂), micro-mesoporosity and mesoporosity for high adsorption capacity for towards metal ions and a large number of dyes, respectively.