Copper supported on porous activated carbon obtained by wetness impregnation: Effect of preparation conditions on the ozonation catalyst's characteristics

An activated carbon-supported copper heterogeneous catalyst based on (Cu/AC) was developed using a wetness impregnation process. The effect of preparation conditions on the catalyst's characteristics was examined. This work focuses on two key parameters: impregnation rate and calcination conditions (temperature and time). Catalysts were characterized by means of nitrogen sorptiometry at 77 K, Boehm analysis and pH_pzc analysis. It was found that the catalyst properties and the functional surface groups were affected by the operating conditions. The highest measured surface area, i.e. 1040 m²/g, was obtained for activated carbon (AC) impregnated with 12% of Cu loading after calcination at 550 °C for 2 h. The effect of adding copper on the surface of activated carbon on its adsorption capacity was also examined. The obtained results showed that after impregnation, the adsorption capacity of activated carbon was improved. Additionally, the performance of the Cu/AC catalyst on nitrobenzene ozonation was investigated. Our results show that the use of Cu/AC for heterogeneous catalytic ozonation enhanced significantly the degradation efficiency of nitrobenzene (NB) compared with simple ozonation and with ozonation catalyzed by AC without metal addition.