Influence of pore structure and pretreatments of activated carbons and water effects on breakthrough dynamics of tert-butylbenzene

Several activated carbons differently pretreated (de-ashed, oxidized, reduced, wetted, frozen, and dried) were investigated using static (equilibrium adsorption of nitrogen and benzene) and dynamic (tert-butylbenzene (TBB)) adsorption methods. Treatments of carbons at relatively mild conditions leading to not great changes in their textural characteristics affect the TBB breakthrough concentration because of changes in the chemistry of the surfaces (oxidized or reduced) and the presence of water in airstream or pre-adsorbed on carbon beds. Oxygen-containing functionalities at a carbon surface change condition of competitive adsorption of nonpolar TBB and polar water molecules. Calculations of distribution functions of adsorption potential (A), energy (E), Gibbs free energy (Delta G) of adsorption of benzene and TBB and effective adsorption (first-order) rate pseudoconstant beta e over different ranges of relative exit TBB concentration c(t)/c(0) (from approximately 10(-5) to 0.01-0.4) reveal nonlinear effects caused by the size of carbon granules, the pore size distributions, the presence of water, oxidation or reduction of the surfaces and other treatments resulting in distribution functions f(y) with nonzero intensity in relatively broad ranges of the A, E, Delta G, and beta e values. There are many factors affecting the breakthrough parameters; therefore, simple linear relationships between these parameters and the structural characteristics (S(BET), S(DS), Vp, and V(DS)) are not observed.     

Cluster-Mediated Water Adsorption on Carbon Nanopores

The adsorption isotherms of water at 303 K and N2 at 77 K on various kinds of porous carbons were compared with each other. The saturated amounts of water adsorbed on carbons almost coincided with amounts of N2 adsorption in micropores. Although carbon aerogel samples have mesopores of the great pore volume, the saturated amount of adsorbed water was close to the micropore volume which is much small than the mesopore volume. These adsorption data on carbon aerogels indicated that the water molecules are not adsorbed in mesopores, but in micropores only. The adsorption isotherms of water on activated carbon having micropores of smaller than 0.7 nm in width had no clear adsorption hysteresis, while the water adsorption isotherms on micropores of greater than 0.7 nm had a remarkable adsorption hysteresis above P/P0 = 0.5. The disappearance of the clear hysteresis for smaller micropores suggested that the cluster of water molecules of about 0.7 nm in size gives rise to the water adsorption on the hydrophobic micropores; the formation and the structure of clusters of water molecules were associated with the adsorption mechanism. The cluster-mediated pore filling mechanism was proposed with a special relevance to the evidence on the formation of the ordered water molecular assembly in the carbon micropores by in situ X-ray diffraction.     

Influence of organics on the structure of water adsorbed on activated carbons

The influence of organics on the structure of water adsorbed on activated carbons was studied using adsorption of nitrogen, benzene, and water, and by (1)H NMR spectroscopy with freezing out of bulk water with the presence of benzene-d(6) or chloroform-d. It was found that interactions of water with the activated carbon surface depend on both structural characteristics (contributions of micro- and mesopores, pore size distributions) of adsorbents and chemical properties (changed by oxidation or reduction) of the adsorbents. Moreover, the interfacial behavior of water is affected by water-insoluble organics such as benzene and chloroform. Changes in the Gibbs free energy of water adsorbed on carbons exposed to air, water, chloroform-d, or benzene-d(6) are related to textural properties of adsorbents and the degree of their oxidation. Since chloroform-d and benzene-d(6) are strongly adsorbed on activated carbons and immiscible with water they replace a significant portion of adsorbed water in micropores, on the walls of mesopores, and in the transport pores of carbons causing changes in the Gibbs free energy and other characteristics of water.     

KOH活化木屑生物炭制备活性炭及其表征

以木屑热裂解的生物质炭为原料,氢氧化钾为活化剂,采用化学活化法制备活性炭,探讨了碱炭比、活化温度和活化时间对活性炭吸附亚甲基蓝吸附值的影响。 利用N2吸附实验、XRD和FTIR等实验技术,对原料与制备活性炭的结构与性能进行了表征。 结果表明,在碱炭质量比为1.5、活化温度750 ℃、活化时间2 h的条件下,所制备的活性炭对亚甲基蓝吸附值为255 mg/g,BET总比表面积为1514 m2/g,中孔比表面积为110 m2/g,吸附总孔容为0.821 cm3/g,中孔孔容为0.117 cm3/g,吸附平均孔径为2.170 nm。     

Surface functionalization of ordered mesoporous carbons--a comparative study

Hexagonally structured mesoporous carbons C15 and CMK-5 and cubically structured carbon C48 were synthesized using ordered silica SBA-15 and MCM-48 as templates and carbon precursors of different structures. The surfaces of these ordered carbons were chemically functionalized by employing an approach, in which the selected diazonium compounds were in situ generated and reacted with the carbon frameworks of the mesoporous carbons. The aromatic organic molecules containing chlorine, ester, and alkyl groups were covalently attached to the surface of these ordered mesoporous carbons. The presence of functional groups on the modified carbons was confirmed with Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, and nitrogen adsorption. The BET-specific surface area and the pore width of ordered carbons were significantly reduced, whereas the primary structure of these ordered carbons and their unit cells were intact. Basically, the density of grafted functional groups is related to the specific surface area of the sample, particularly the surface area of mesopores. The surface functionalization reaction takes place only on the external surface of carbon C15, while it occurs on both of the internal and external surface of CMK-5 carbon with the nanopipe structure. The presence of the micropores in CMK-5 carbon should be responsible for its lower grafting density because the small micropores are inaccessible in the reaction. It was also proposed that the preferred adsorption/reaction in C48 may be related to the observed unsymmetrical degradation of the XRD patterns for the functionalized C48 samples. The chemical modification process considerably reduced the primary mesopores in these ordered carbons by approximately 1-1.5 nm, affording carbons with micropores in the cases of C15 and C48, and mixed micropores and small mesopores in the case of CMK-5. A grafting density of approximately 0.9-1.5 micromol/m(2) was achieved under current research.     

含磷活性炭作为双电层电容器电极材料的电化学性能

采用磷酸活化和磷酸改性制备了不同种类的含磷活性炭,采用元素分析、X射线光电子能谱(XPS)和氮气吸附等手段分析了活性炭的元素含量、表面化学性质和孔隙结构,采用恒电流充放电、循环伏安和交流阻抗分别考察了活性炭在KOH和H₂SO₄电解质溶液中作为超级电容器电极材料的电化学性能,采用自由截距多元线性回归拟合统计分析研究了活性炭电极比电容量的影响因素,应用三电极体系分析了磷元素对活性炭电化学性能的影响机理。研究结果表明,活性炭掺杂的磷引入了赝电容,提高了活性炭电极的比电容量,磷元素含量为5.88%(w)的活性炭的比电容量在0.1 A·g^-1下达到185 F·g^-1。统计分析结果显示,活性炭的中孔有利于电解质离子向微孔内的扩散。在6 mol·L^-1 KOH电解质溶液中,孔径在1.10-1.61 nm、2.12-2.43nm及3.94-4.37 nm范围内是电解质离子在活性炭孔隙内部形成双电层的主要场所;在1 mol·L^-1 H₂SO₄电解质溶液中,孔径在0.67-0.72 nm范围内有利于双电层电容的形成。     

Synthesis and adsorption properties of colloid-imprinted mesoporous carbons using poly(vinylidene chloride-co-vinyl chloride) as a carbon precursor

A facile synthesis of micro- and mesoporous carbons has been proposed using colloidal silica nanoparticles with diameter of ∼24 nm and poly(vinylidene chloride-co-vinyl chloride) (Saran) as a carbon precursor. The resulting carbons possessed large specific surface area, ∼800 m²/g, and approximately the same volume of micro- and mesopores, each about 50% of the total pore volume. While the size of micropores was around 1 nm, the large and uniform spherical mesopores (about 24 nm) resemble the diameters of silica colloids used. Nitrogen adsorption measurements proved that these mesopores were interconnected and accessible. The well-developed microporosity was created mainly by decomposition of Saran copolymer during carbonization.     

有序介孔炭的合成及液相有机大分子吸附性能研究

分别采用有序介孔氧化硅SBA-15和NaY分子筛为硬模板合成了系列有序介孔炭OMC和微孔炭CFY. N₂静态吸附测试表明, 所合成的介孔炭具有丰富的介孔结构和集中的介孔分布. 以亚甲基蓝为探针分子, 研究其在有序介孔炭OMC和微孔炭CFY上的吸附行为. 研究结果表明, 有序介孔炭中大于3.5 nm的大介孔孔容是决定亚甲基蓝吸附容量和吸附速率的关键因素. 吸附动力学理论研究表明, 准二级动力学方程可以很好地描述亚甲基蓝分子在介孔炭上吸附动力学行为.     

Preparation of highly porous carbon from fir wood by KOH etching and CO2 gasification for adsorption of dyes and phenols from water

Fir wood was first carbonized for 1.5 h at 450 degrees C, then soaked in a KOH solution KOH/char ratio of 1, and last activated for 1 h at 780 degrees C. During the last hour CO2 was poured in for further activation for 0, 15, 30, and 60 min, respectively. Carbonaceous adsorbents with controllable surface area and pore structure were chemically activated from carbonized fir wood (i.e., char) by KOH etching and CO2 gasification. The pore properties, including the BET surface area, pore volume, pore size distribution, and pore diameter, of these activated carbons were first characterized by the t-plot method based on N2 adsorption isotherms. Fir-wood carbon activated with CO2 gasification from 0 to 60 min exhibited a BET surface area ranging from 1371 to 2821 m2 g(-1), with a pore volume significantly increased from 0.81 to 1.73 m2 g(-1). Scanning electron microscopic (SEM) results showed that the surfaces of honeycombed holes in these carbons were significantly different from those of carbons without CO2 gasification. The adsorption of methylene blue, basic brown 1, acid blue 74, p-nitrophenol, p-chlorophenol, p-cresol, and phenol from water on all the carbons studied was examined to check their chemical characteristics. Adsorption kinetics was in agreement with the Elovich equation, and all equilibrium isotherms were in agreement with the Langmuir equation. These results were used to compare the Elovich parameter (1/b) and the adsorption quantity of the unit area (q(mon)/Sp) of activated carbons with different CO2 gasification durations. This work facilitated the preparation of activated carbon by effectively controlling pore structures and the adsorption performance of the activated carbon on adsorbates of different molecular forms.     

Structural characteristics of activated carbons and ibuprofen adsorption affected by bovine serum albumin

Structural characteristics of a series of MAST carbons were studied using scanning electron microscopy images and the nitrogen adsorption isotherms analyzed with several models of pores and different adsorption equations. A developed model of pores as a mixture of gaps between spherical nanoparticles and slitlike pores was found appropriate for MAST carbons. Adsorption of ibuprofen [2-(4-isobutylphenyl)propionic acid] on activated carbons possessing different pore size distributions in protein-free and bovine serum albumin (BSA)-containing aqueous solutions reveals the importance of the contribution of mesopores to the total porosity of adsorbents. The influence of the mesoporosity increases when considering the removal of the drug from the protein-containing solution. Cellulose-coated microporous carbon Norit RBX adsorbs significantly smaller amounts of ibuprofen than uncoated micro/mesoporous MAST carbons whose adsorption capability increases with increasing mesoporosity and specific surface area, burnoff dependent variable. A similar effect of broad pores is observed on adsorption of fibrinogen on the same carbons. Analysis of the ibuprofen adsorption data using Langmuir and D'Arcy-Watt equations as the kernel of the Fredholm integral equation shows that the nonuniformity of ibuprofen adsorption complexes diminishes with the presence of BSA. This effect may be explained by a partial adsorption of ibuprofen onto protein molecules immobilized on carbon particles and blocking of a portion of narrow pores.     

Assessing surface chemistry and pore structure of active carbons by a combination of physisorption (H2O, Ar, N2, CO2), XPS and TPD-MS

In order to address open questions concerning the surface chemistry and pore structure characterization of nanoporous carbons, we performed extensive experiments by combining various experimental techniques on a series of commercially available activated carbons which exhibit diverse surface chemistry characteristics. Pore size analysis was performed on Ar (87 K), N₂ (77 K) and CO₂ (273 K) adsorption isotherms using state-of-the art methods based on density functional theory, including the recently developed quenched solid density functional theory (QSDFT). A detailed study of the surface chemistry was obtained by applying temperature programmed desorption coupled with mass spectrometry (TPD-MS) as well as XPS (X-Ray-Photoelectron Scattering). This information together with the pore structure information leads to a reliable interpretation of systematic water adsorption measurements obtained on these materials. Our results clearly suggest that water adsorption is indeed a sensitive tool for detecting differences in surface chemistry between chemically and physically activated active carbon materials with comparable ultramicropore structure. The occurrence of sorption hysteresis associated with the filling of micro- and narrow mesopores (in a range where nitrogen and argon isotherms are reversible) provides additional structural information, complementary to the insights from argon/nitrogen/carbon dioxide adsorption.     

Calorimetric evaluation of activated carbons modified for phenol and 2,4-dinitrophenol adsorption

Two commercial activated carbons with differences in their superficial chemistry, one granular and the other pelletised, were modified for use in phenol and 2,4-dinitrophenol adsorption. In this paper, changes to the activated carbon surface will be evaluated from their immersion calorimetry in water and benzene, and they will then be compared with Area BET, chemical parameters, micropore size distributions and hydrophobicity factors of the modified activated carbons. The activated carbons were modified using 60 % solutions of phosphoric acid (H₃PO₄), nitric acid (HNO₃), zinc chloride (ZnCl₂) and potassium hydroxide (KOH); the activated carbon/solution ratio was 1:3 and impregnation was conducted 291 K for a period of 72 h before samples were washed until a constant pH was obtained. Water immersion calorimetry showed that the best results were obtained from activated carbons modified with nitric acid, which increased from ?10.6 to ?29.8 J g^?1 for modified granular activated carbon, and ?30.9 to ?129.3 J g^?1 for pelletised activated carbon. Additionally, they showed the best results in phenol and 2.4-dititrophenol adsorption. Those results indicate that impregnation with nitric acid under the employed conditions could generate a greater presence of oxygenated groups on their surface, which favours hydrogen bond formation and the increased adsorption of polar compounds. It should also be noted that immersion enthalpy in benzene for modified activated carbon with nitric acid is the method with the lowest value, which is consistent with the increased presence of polar groups on its surface. Regarding hydrophobicity factors, it was observed that granular carbons modified with nitric acid and potassium hydroxide have the lowest ratios, indicating greater interaction with water.     

Adsorption, structure and dynamics of benzene in ordered and disordered porous carbons

Molecular simulations are used to study the adsorption, structure, and dynamics of benzene at 298 K in atomistic models of ordered and disordered nanoporous carbons. The ordered porous carbon is a regular slit pore made up of graphene sheets. The disordered porous carbon is a structural model that reproduces the morphological (pore shape) and topological (pore connectivity) disorder of saccharose-based porous carbons. As expected for pores of a regular geometry, the filling occurs at well-defined pressures which are an increasing function of the pore width H. In contrast, in qualitative agreement with experimental data for activated carbon fibers, the filling of the disordered carbon is continuous and spans over a large pressure range. The structure and dynamics of benzene in the disordered carbon also strongly depart from that for the slit pore geometry. While benzene in the slit graphite nanopores exhibits significant layering, benzene in the disordered porous carbon exhibits a liquid-like structure very close to its bulk counterpart. Both the ordering and self-diffusivity of benzene in the graphite nanopores depend in a complex manner on the pore width. The dynamics is either slower or faster than its bulk counterpart; our data show that the self-diffusivity decreases as the number of confined layers n divided by the pore width H increases (except for very small pore sizes for which benzene crystallizes and is necessarily slower than the liquid phase). The dynamics of benzene in the disordered porous carbon is isotropic and is much slower than that for the graphite slit nanopores (even with the smallest slit nanopore considered in this work). The results above show that the adsorption, structure, and dynamics of benzene confined in disordered porous carbons cannot be described in simple terms using an ideal model such as the slit pore geometry.     

活性炭的高温脱氧改性及其床层对全氟异丁烯的吸附动力学研究

在N2气保护下对颗粒状活性炭进行了不同温度(400—800 ℃)下的高温改性, 考察了不同的空气流湿度(30%—80% R.H.)下全氟异丁烯(PFIB)在活性炭床层中的吸附穿透行为. 利用Wheeler方程对穿透数据进行了处理, 并采用线性平衡吸附体系的动力学模型对床层的穿透实验数据进行了关联. 结果表明, 基炭经高温改性后, 活性炭的孔隙结构没有明显变化, 表面含氧量随处理温度的提高而减少, 在高湿条件下对全氟异丁烯的选择性吸附能力显著提高, 活性炭床层可使PFIB的防护时间延长. 各种实验条件下的理论穿透曲线与实验值数据吻合, 可以利用线性平衡吸附体系的动力学模型来预示PFIB在活性炭层中的穿透行为, 进行防毒面具的滤毒罐参数的选取和设计.     

Importance of structural and chemical heterogeneity of activated carbon surfaces for adsorption of dibenzothiophene

The performance of various activated carbons obtained from different carbon precursors (i.e., plastic waste, coal, and wood) as adsorbents for the desulfurization of liquid hydrocarbon fuels was evaluated. To increase surface heterogeneity, the carbon surface was modified by oxidation with ammonium persulfate. The results showed the importance of activated carbon pore sizes and surface chemistry for the adsorption of dibenzothiophene (DBT) from liquid phase. Adsorption of DBT on activated carbons is governed by two types of contributions: physical and chemical interactions. The former include dispersive interactions in the microporous network of the carbons. While the volume of micropores governs the amount physisorbed, mesopores control the kinetics of the process. On the other hand, introduction of surface functional groups enhances the performance of the activated carbons as a result of specific interactions between the acidic centers of the carbon and the basic structure of DBT molecule as well as sulfur-sulfur interactions.     

Interaction of poly(ethylene oxide) with fumed silica

Interaction of poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO, 600 kDa) with fumed silica A-300 (SBET = 316 m2/g) was investigated under different conditions using adsorption, infrared (IR), thermal analysis (TG-DTA), AFM, and quantum chemical methods. The studied dried silica/PEO samples were also carbonized in a flow reactor at 773 K. The structural characteristics of fumed silica, PEO/silica, and pyrocarbon/fumed silica were investigated using nitrogen adsorption-desorption at 77.4 K. PEO adsorption isotherm depicts a high affinity of PEO to the fumed silica surface in aqueous medium. PEO adsorbed in the amount of 50 mg per gram of silica (PEO monolayer corresponds to CPEO approximately 190 mg/g) can disturb approximately 70% of isolated surface silanols. However, at the monolayer coverage, only 20% of oxygen atoms of PEO molecules take part in the hydrogen bonding with the surface silanols. An increase in the PEO amount adsorbed on fumed silica leads to a diminution of the specific surface area and contributions of micro- (pore radius R < 1 nm) and mesopores (1 < R < 25 nm) to the pore volume but contribution of macropores (R > 25 nm) increases with CPEO. Quantum chemical calculations of a complex of a PEO fragment with a tripple bond SiOH group of a silica cluster in the gas phase and with consideration for the solvent (water) effect show a reduction of interaction energy in the aqueous medium. However, the complex remains strong enough to provide durability of the PEO adsorption complexes on fumed silica; i.e., PEO/fumed silica nanocomposites could be stable in both gaseous and liquid media.     

Aqueous dye adsorption on ordered mesoporous carbons

Ordered mesoporous carbons (OMCs) with varying pore size, and microporous carbon, CFY, were synthesized using ordered mesoporous silica SBA-15 and NaY zeolite as hard templates, respectively. N(2) adsorption tests show that the synthesized OMCs possess abundant mesopores and centralized mesopore distribution. Methylene blue (MB) and neutral red (NR) were used as probe molecules to investigate their adsorption behaviors on OMCs and CFY. As evidenced by adsorption tests, the volume of mesopores of which the pore size is larger than 3.5 nm is a crucial factor for the adsorption capacity and adsorption rate of MB on OMCs. However, the most probable pore diameter of OMCs was found to be vital to the adsorption capacity and adsorption rate of NR. Theoretical studies show that the adsorption kinetics of MB and NR on OMCs can be well depicted by using pseudo-second-order kinetic model.     

几种植物基活性炭材料的孔结构与吸附性能比较——(I)孔结构表征

测定了3种植物基活性炭材料:椰壳活性炭 (CAC4)、剑麻茎基活性炭 (SSAC) 和剑麻基活性碳纤维 (SACF) 的氮吸附等温线,并用不同的理论方法对其孔结构进行了分析和表征。结果表明:CAC4为微孔型,孔径分布集中且大部分是0.7nm以下的极微孔;在相同条件下制备的SSAC和SACF孔分布较为相似,都呈多分散性,结构中除微孔外,还含有丰富的中孔,中孔率均超过50%以上。两者相比,SACF的中孔量和平均孔径更大。3个样品的形态特征和孔结构虽然不同,但其吸附过程都可以用微孔多段填充机理来解析。     

Adsorption of toluene and toluene–water vapor mixture on almond shell based activated carbons

The aim of work is to study the adsorption of a common volatile organic compound such as toluene using activated carbons prepared by chemical activation with phosphoric acid of a lignocellulosic precursor, almond shell, under different conditions. The Impregnation ratio, temperature and time of activation were modified to obtain activated carbons with different characteristics. Regarding the characteristics of the activated carbons, the effects of porous structure and surface chemistry on the toluene adsorption capacity from toluene isotherms have been analysed. Results show that the control of properties of the activated carbons, particularly porous structure, highly dependent on the preparation conditions, plays a decisive role on the toluene adsorption capacity of the activated carbons. Concerning the experiments of toluene adsorption conducted in dynamic mode, activated carbons prepared at low temperatures of activation show higher breakthrough times than those obtained for activated carbons prepared at higher activation temperatures. The amount of toluene adsorbed in presence of water vapor in the gas stream lead to a decrease ranging from 33 to 46 % except for carbons prepared at higher temperatures activated that show only a slight decrease in the amount of toluene adsorbed. Activated carbons can be regenerated with soft heat treatment showing a slight decrease in the adsorption capacity. The high toluene adsorption capacities as well as the high breakthrough times obtained in presence of water vapor make these activated carbons suitable for commercial applications.     

Magnetic mesoporous carbon for efficient removal of organic pollutants

Carbon materials such as activated carbons have been used in the field of water and wastewater treatments. However, the lack of mesopore and, particularly, the difficulty in recovering the spent carbon limited their applications. In this work, magnetic mesoporous carbon microspheres were synthesized by impregnating iron oxide precursors in the mesoporous carbon followed by the in situ conversion of the precursors into magnetite nanoparticles. The as-synthesized carbon microspheres with a high surface area of 742?m²/g and large mesopores of ～4.4?nm exhibited an excellent adsorption capacity for aqueous organic pollutants. The superparamagnetic microspheres with a saturation magnetization of 7.15 emu/g can be easily separated from the treated solution by external magnetic field.