Adsorption of aromatic compounds from the biodegradation of azo dyes on activated carbon

The adsorption of three selected aromatic compounds (aniline, sulfanilic acid and benzenesulfonic acid) on activated carbons with different surface chemical properties was investigated at different solution pH. A fairly basic commercial activated carbon was modified by means of chemical treatment with HNO₃, yielding an acid activated carbon. The textural properties of this sample were not significantly changed after the oxidation treatment. Equilibrium isotherms of the selected compounds on the mentioned samples were obtained and the results were discussed in relation to their surface chemistry. The influence of electrostatic and dispersive interactions involved in the uptake of the compounds studied was evaluated. The Freundlich model was used to fit the experimental data. Higher uptakes are attained when the compounds are present in their molecular form. In general, adsorption was disfavoured by the introduction of oxygen-containing groups on the surface of the activated carbon.     

Ultrasound assisted co-precipitation synthesis and catalytic performance of mesoporous nanocrystalline NiO-Al2O3 powders

Mesoporous nanocrystalline NiO-Al₂O₃ powders with high surface area were synthesized via ultrasound assisted co-precipitation method and the potential of the selected samples as catalyst was investigated in dry reforming reaction for preparation of synthesis gas. The prepared samples were characterized by N₂ adsorption (BET), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Temperature programmed reduction and oxidation (TPR, TPO) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) techniques. The effects of pH, power of ultrasound irradiation, aging time and calcination temperature on the textural properties of the catalysts were studied. The sample prepared under specified conditions (pH10, 70 W, without aging time and calcined at 600 °C) exhibited the highest surface area (249.7 m² g⁻¹). This catalyst was calcined at different temperature and employed in dry reforming of methane and the catalytic results were compared with those obtained over the catalysts prepared by impregnation and co-precipitation methods. The results showed that the catalyst prepared by ultrasound assisted co-precipitation method exhibited higher activity and stability with lower degree of carbon formation compared to catalysts prepared by co-precipitation and impregnation methods.     

Monte Carlo simulation of carbon monoxide,carbon dioxide and methane adsorption on activated carbon

In this study, the adsorption capacity of pure and activated carbon with regard to carbon monoxide (CO), carbon dioxide (CO₂) and methane (CH₄) gases at 298?K and pressure from 0.01 up to 2.0?MPa has been investigated computationally. Computational work refers to Monte Carlo (MC) simulation of each adsorbed gas on a graphite model with varying density of activation sites. The Grand Canonical Monte Carlo (GCMC) simulation technique was employed to obtain the uptake of each adsorbed gas by considering a graphite model of parallel sheets activated by carboxyl and hydroxyl groups, as observed experimentally. The simulation adsorption data for these gases within the examined carbon pore material are presented and discussed in terms of the adsorbate fluid molecular characteristics and corresponding interactions between adsorbate species and adsorbent material. We found that the simulated adsorption uptake of the examined graphite model under these conditions with regard to the aforementioned fluids increases in the order CO?<?CH₄?<?CO₂.     

The influence of nonpolar organics adsorption on the electrochemical behaviour of powdered activated carbon electrodes in aqueous electrolytes

Adsorption and electrochemical studies were carried out on three activated carbon samples first oxidized, then heat-treated under vacuum (at 180, 500 and 900 °C). The investigations were performed with aqueous electrolyte (Na₂HPO₄ and H₃PO₄) solutions containing selected nonpolar organics (benzene and n-hexane). Adsorption measurements were carried out on solution with a wide range of organics concentration (up to saturation point). Cyclovoltammetric curves of powdered electrodes prepared from the activated carbon samples were recorded for the organics in saturated solutions. The electric double layer capacities of the anodic and cathodic parts were estimated, and the surface anodic and cathodic charge was calculated both in absence and presence of organics in the electrochemical systems. The relative surface charge (in relation to systems without organics) was found to decrease with a reduction in the concentration of surface oxygen-containing groups. Other physicochemical parameters characterizing the degree of surface oxidation (total oxygen concentration, primary water adsorption centres) were also taken into consideration. The correlation between adsorption capacity towards the nonpolar organic compounds (obtained from adsorption isotherms) and change of surface charge was analyzed.     

Carbon Modified Silica based Adsorbent for Potential Application

The carbon modified silica adsorbents were prepared by synthesizing and modifying zeolite Y type with activated carbon. This paper reports on effects of activated carbon loadings on the methane and nitrogen adsorption, structure and properties of carbon modified zeolite Y. With the increase in activated carbon loadings, the surface area, pore size and pore volume of the activated carbon loaded zeolite Y adsorbent decreased. The intensity of the diffraction patterns of zeolite Y decreased after the activated carbon was loaded. With increasing activated carbon loadings, the intensity of diffraction peaks decreased. Adsorption capacity of nitrogen (N₂) was smaller than adsorption capacity of methane (CH₄) by using activated carbon modified silica. When activated carbon loadings 30% wt.%, adsorption capacity of methane and nitrogen was 12.9317 wt.% and 12.6115 wt.%, these were caused by difference in molecular weight. The molecular weight of nitrogen is bigger than molecular weight of methane.     

Surface modification of pitch-based spherical activated carbon by CVD of NH3 to improve its adsorption to uric acid

Surface chemistry of pitch-based spherical activated carbon (PSAC) was modified by chemical vapor deposition of NH₃ (NH₃-CVD) to improve the adsorption properties of uric acid. The texture and surface chemistry of PSAC were studied by N₂ adsorption, pH_PZC (point of zero charge), acid-base titration and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). NH₃-CVD has a limited effect on carbon textural characteristics but it significantly changed the surface chemical properties, resulting in positive effects on uric acid adsorption. After modification by NH₃-CVD, large numbers of nitrogen-containing groups (especially valley-N and center-N) are introduced on the surface of PSAC, which is responsible for the increase of pH_PZC, surface basicity and uric acid adsorption capacity. Pseudo-second-order kinetic model can be used to describe the dynamic adsorption of uric acid on PSAC, and the thermodynamic parameters show that the adsorption of uric acid on PSAC is spontaneous, endothermic and irreversible process in nature.     

The study of dehumidifying of carbon monoxide and ammonia adsorption by Iranian natural clinoptilolite zeolite

The natural zeolite (clinoptilolite type) was obtained from the Neibagh region of Mianeh, the city in the west of Iran. The raw zeolite was tested for quality and quantity measurements including surface area and volumetric characteristics as well as thermogravimetry analysis. The acid activation process was used to increase the adsorption rate of zeolite and in order to obtain the optimum conditions: the effect of acid concentration, reaction time and the temperature were studied. A surface area measurement test was performed in each stage to get the best results. Thus, efficient condition was selected according to the produced highest surface area. The reaction was first obtained with hydrochloric acid, and then a comparison was made using the sulfuric acid. The hydrochloric reaction proved to be better. The result of activation was 2.5 times the increase in the surface area in relation to the raw sample. The result of elemental analysis conducted once again on the activated sample showed an increase in the ratio of Si/Al (approximately 0.6). Then, using CO, NH₃ and steam, the gas adsorption capacity of both the raw and activated samples was measured and compared. Since CO was not adsorbed at ambient temperature, but steam was adsorbed relatively well, the natural clinoptilolite zeolite of Iran was suggested as a suitable material for adsorbing humidity form carbon monoxide as well as synthesis gas (H₂ and CO mixture).     

Studies on ordered mesoporous materials for potential environmental and clean energy applications

Two series of ordered mesoporous materials, SBA-15 silica and CMK-3 carbon were synthesized. The ordered nanostructure of these materials was confirmed by TEM and XRD analysis. Structural parameters including the specific surface area, pore volume and pore size distribution were determined on the basis of nitrogen adsorption data at 77 K. Potential applications of these materials were explored in relation to the CO₂ sequestering, methane storage and fuel desulfurization. Initial studies of both materials showed their usefulness for environmental and clean energy applications. SBA-15 modified with triethanolamine showed a very good adsorption selectivity for CO₂ while its adsorption reversibility was retained. Also, this material after CuCl deposition was useful for removal of fuel thiophenes. However, CMK-3 was shown to be promising material for storage of natural gas. As high as 41 wt.% of methane was stored in this material in the presence of appropriate amount of water.     

Ammonia modification of activated carbon to enhance carbon dioxide adsorption: Effect of pre-oxidation

A commercial granular activated carbon (GAC) was subjected to thermal treatment with ammonia for obtaining an efficient carbon dioxide (CO₂) adsorbent. In general, CO₂ adsorption capacity of activated carbon can be increased by introduction of basic nitrogen functionalities onto the carbon surface. In this work, the effect of oxygen surface groups before introduction of basic nitrogen functionalities to the carbon surface on CO₂ adsorption capacity was investigated. For this purpose two different approaches of ammonia treatment without preliminary oxidation and amination of oxidized samples were studied. Modified carbons were characterized by elemental analysis and Fourier Transform Infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) to study the impact of changes in surface chemistry and formation of specific surface groups on adsorption properties. The texture of the samples was characterized by conducting N₂ adsorption/desorption at −196 °C. CO₂ capture performance of the samples was investigated using a thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). It was found that in both modification techniques, the presence of nitrogen functionalities on carbon surface generally increased the CO₂ adsorption capacity. The results indicated that oxidation followed by high temperature ammonia treatment (800 °C) considerably enhanced the CO₂ uptake at higher temperatures.     

Effect of outgassing temperature on the performance of porous materials

This work illustrates the consequences of an inadequate outgassing temperature of porous materials of different nature (zeolites and activated carbons) on their performance on gas storage and wastewater remediation. Outgassing at low temperature in thermally stable materials leads to an incomplete cleaning of the porous surface; as a result, the gas storage ability based on adsorption isotherms is underestimated. In contrast, outgassing at elevated temperature in temperature-sensitive materials provokes irreversible changes in their composition and structure, which also affects strongly their stability and performance. Two examples illustrating wrong interpretation data on CO₂ capture on zeolites and wastewater treatment using activated carbons are addressed. The results show how the performance of a given material can be significantly modified or misunderstood after the outgassing pretreatment.     

Preparation of activated carbons previously treated with sulfuric acid: A study of their adsorption capacity in solution

In the present work, cedar wood has been used as raw material for the preparation of activated carbons. The influence of a previous treatment with sulfuric acid on the textural properties of the carbonized and activated samples has been investigated. Finally, the adsorption capacity of para-nitrophenol in aqueous solution has been studied and the corresponding adsorption isotherms have been fitted to Langmuir's equation. The experimental results indicate that the previous dehydration of the raw material with sulfuric acid gives rise to an improvement in the porous texture and adsorption capacity of the activated carbons.     

Wettability modification of pitch-based spherical activated carbon by air oxidation and its effects on phenol adsorption

The surface chemistry of pitch-based spherical activated carbon (PSAC) was modified by air oxidation to enhance its wettability as well as adsorption properties. Changes of PSAC after modification in texture, surface chemistry and wettability were studied by different techniques including N₂ adsorption, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and dynamic contact angle analyzer (DCA). Phenol adsorption characteristics in different solvents on PSAC were also investigated. When PSAC was modified under an atmosphere with 20 vol.% oxygen at 400 and 450 °C for 5 h, surface acidic groups increased from 0.11 to 1.22 and 1.60 meq/g, while basic groups decreased from 0.52 to 0.03 and 0.02 meq/g, respectively. After PSAC was modified, the increase of the oxygen-containing groups, especially carboxylic and phenolic ones, is responsible for the increasing of the surface acidity and the significant improvement of the wettability of PSAC. PSAC with a relatively high oxygen content provided a low adsorption capacity to phenol in aqueous solution, and the adsorption isotherms change from Langmuir class (L) to the S-shaped curve; while the solvent is changed into cyclohexane, all adsorption isotherms are type L, and the adsorption capacity to phenol increases with increasing oxygen-containing groups. Possible reasons, including the solvent effect, π-π dispersion and donor-acceptor interactions are discussed.     

Preparation and ozone-surface modification of activated carbon. Thermal stability of oxygen surface groups

The control of the surface chemistry of activated carbon by ozone and heat treatment is investigated. Using cherry stones, activated carbons were prepared by carbonization at 900 °C and activation in CO₂ or steam at 850 °C. The obtained products were ozone-treated at room temperature. After their thermogravimetric analysis, the samples were heat-treated to 300, 500, 700 or 900 °C. The textural characterization was carried out by N₂ adsorption at 77 K, mercury porosimetry, and density measurements. The surface analysis was performed by the Bohem method and pH of the point of zero charge (pH_pzc). It has been found that the treatment of activated carbon with ozone combined with heat treatment enables one to control the acidic-basic character and strength of the carbon surface. Whereas the treatment with ozone yields acidic carbons, carbon dioxide and steam activations of the carbonized product and the heat treatment of the ozone-treated products result in basic carbons; the strength of a base which increases with the increasing heat treatment temperature. pH_pzc ranges between 3.6 and 10.3.     

Reactive molecular dynamic simulations of hydrocarbon dissociations on Ni(111) surfaces

Empirical potential parameters for H, C and Ni elements have been developed for the ReaxFF force field in order to study the decomposition of small hydrocarbon molecules on nickel using molecular dynamics simulations. These parameters were optimized using the geometrical and energetic information obtained from density functional (DFT) calculations on a subset of hydrogen and methane reactions with nickel (111) surfaces. The resulting force field was then used to obtain a molecular perspective of the dynamics of the methane dissociative adsorption on Ni(111) as well as two other small alkane molecules, ethane and n-butane. NVT simulations of dissociative adsorption of methane over a range of temperatures enabled the estimation of the sticking coefficient for the adsorption as well as the activation energy of the first C–H bond breaking. The rate constants of each elementary step (both forward and reverse) of CH_x dissociation on Ni(111) were obtained by monitoring the surface species and a microkinetic model was constructed as a result. Qualitative analyses of the simulations of ethane and n-butane decompositions on Ni(111) demonstrate that such reactive MD technique can also be used to obtain useful information on complex reaction networks.     

甲烷在多孔硅表面物理吸附特征研究(英文)

在密度泛函理论耦合超软贋势第一性原理的平台上,研究了甲烷在Si(111)表面的物理吸附特性.通过建立硅晶胞的不同吸附位置(top、bridge、fcc)模型,对比分析了甲烷在相应位置吸附界面变化的键结构、吸附能和态密度,获得了相应吸附点的吸附特征.对比分析的结果表明,甲烷只有在fcc位置物理吸附状态较为理想.分析态密度、键长及键角等数据揭示fcc位甲烷吸附对体系硅晶胞有很大的影响,其体系的键能最低,即此时体系结构最稳定.本文所得研究成果可用于Si表面对甲烷气体的敏感性分析及气体传感器领域.     

甲烷在多孔硅表面物理吸附特征研究

在密度泛函理论耦合超软贋势第一性原理的平台上,研究了甲烷在Si(111)表面的物理吸附特性。通过建立硅晶胞的不同吸附位置（top、bridge、fcc）模型,对比分析了甲烷在相应位置吸附界面变化的键结构、吸附能和态密度,获得了相应吸附点的吸附特征。对比分析的结果表明,甲烷只有在top位置物理吸附状态较为理想。分析态密度、键长及键角等数据揭示top位甲烷吸附对体系硅晶胞有很大的影响,其体系的键能最低,即此时体系结构最稳定。本文所得研究成果可用于Si表面对甲烷气体的敏感性分析及气体传感器领域。     

Preparation of activated carbons previously treated with hydrogen peroxide: Study of their porous texture

Cedar wood was used as raw material for the preparation of activated carbons by treatment with hydrogen peroxide of different concentrations. The samples were next carbonised and activated under CO₂ atmosphere. The activated carbons were characterised by means of the adsorption isotherms of N₂ at 77 K, as well as by applying the Density Functional Theory (DFT) method and mercury porosimetry. The experimental results corresponding to the activated samples indicate a more remarkable porous development as a consequence of the treatment with hydrogen peroxide, probably due to the elimination of surface complexes produced during the activation step. The DFT diagrams point out that the activating treatment favours the development of medium and narrow-size micropores whereas the carbonisation process leads to the development of wide micropores of size close to that corresponding to mesopores.     

Determination of the fractal dimension of activated carbons: Two alternative methods

The fractal dimension of three samples of activated carbon has been determined according to two different experimental methods. The first method is based on the vaporization of gas species from the sample into a CO₂ flow up to a constant temperature of 573 K, and the adsorption of CO₂ from the CO₂ flow onto the surface of the sample under cooling. The second method is based on the application of the equation proposed by Frankel, Halsey and Hill. The degree of concordance between both methods is excellent.     

Preparation and hydrogen storage of activated rayon-based carbon fibers with high specific surface area

Activated carbon fibers were prepared from rayon-based carbon fibers by two step activations with steam and KOH treatments. Hydrogen storage properties of the activated rayon-based carbon fibers with high specific surface area and micropore volume have been investigated. SEM, XRD and Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) were used to characterize the samples. The adsorption performance and porous structure were investigated by nitrogen adsorption isotherm at 77 K on the base of BET and density functional theory (DFT). The BET specific surface area and micropore volume of the activated rayon-based carbon fibers were 3144 m²/g and 0.744 m³/g, respectively. Hydrogen storage properties of the samples were measured at 77 and 298 K with pressure-composition isotherm (PCT) measuring system based on the volumetric method. The capacities of hydrogen storage of the activated rayon-based carbon fibers were 7.01 and 1.46 wt% at 77 and 298 K at 4 MPa, respectively. Possible mechanisms for hydrogen storage in the activated rayon-based carbon fibers are discussed.     

CdSnO3-graphene nanocomposites: Ultrasonic synthesis using glucose as capping agent and characterization for electrochemical hydrogen storage

Nanoscale cadmium stannate (CdSnO₃) structures were productively synthesized via a facile and rapid sonochemical route using an eco-friendly capping agent of glucose. In order to optimize the size and structure of products, the various effective factors were inquired such as ultrasound waves, calcination temperature and solvent. The all samples were synthesized under ultrasonic probe for 30 min and different power (frequency) of 80 (24 KHz), 60 (18 KHz) and 40 W (12 KHz). The properties and characteristics of as-fabricated samples were examined by proficient techniques to identification the purity, structure, shape, optical, electrical and surface features. The ability of CdSnO₃ nanostructures and representative graphene based nanocomposites as potential hydrogen storage materials was considered by electrochemical methods. According to the obtained results, the CdSnO₃/graphene nanocomposites demonstrated higher hydrogen storage capacity than pristine CdSnO₃ nanostructures.