Bifunctional copper modified graphitic carbon nitride catalysts for efficient tetracycline removal: Synergy of adsorption and photocatalytic degradation

In order to efficiently remove tetracycline in wastewater through the synergistic effect of adsorption and photocatalytic degradation, a series of novel composite materials (Cu doped g-C₃N₄) were synthesized by two-pot hydrothermal method. It was found that the composite materials with optimized ratio (Cu/CN-1) displayed outstanding adsorption and photocatalytic performance as compared with pure g-C₃N₄ photocatalyst. The removal efficiency of tetracycline (TC, 50 mg/L) reached almost 99% within 30 min by Cu/CN-1 through the synergy of adsorption and photocatalysis under visible-light irradiation, which was the highest removal efficiency ever reported. The adsorption kinetics and isotherms of TC on the Cu/CN-1 were well fitted with the pseudo-second-order kinetic model and Langmuir model, respectively. Moreover, it was confirmed that the main effective reactive groups were O₂⁻ and h⁺ in photocatalytic process. The Cu/CN-1 exhibited high stability and excellent reusability after five cycle experiments. Finally, the mechanism of synergy between Cu and g-C₃N₄ was proposed: on the one hand, the decoration of Cu particles significantly increased the adsorption sites of Cu/CN-1 to tetracycline, on the other hand, the modification of Cu particles effectively inhibits charge recombination and broadens the visible light absorption range of the photocatalyst.This study provided a promising photocatalyst to be used for TC removal in the actual wastewater.     

Predicting solute adsorption on activated carbon: phenol

Activated carbon (AC), the most widely used adsorbent in water and in wastewater treatment, comprises a high surface area of very small, convoluted and interconnected pores. Despite the wide use of AC, there is little fundamental atomic-level understanding of its adsorption capacity and selectivity as well as its pore structure. The purpose of this work is to suggest the methodology for calculation of equilibrium adsorption capacity of common water organic pollutants and use it for phenol as a model. The effects of various functional groups, pore size, and coverage on thermodynamics of phenol adsorption from the gas phase and from water media are calculated using molecular mechanics (MM) and density functional theory (DFT) approaches.     

Hierarchical porous cellulose/activated carbon composite monolith for efficient adsorption of dyes

Cheap and efficient adsorbents to remove contaminants of toxic dye molecules from wastewater are strongly in demand for environmental reasons. This study provides a novel design of a monolithic adsorbent from abundant materials via a facile synthetic procedure, which can greatly reduce the problems of the tedious separation of adsorbents from treated wastes. A hierarchically porous cellulose/activated carbon (cellulose/AC) composite monolith was prepared by thermally-induced phase separation of cellulose acetate in the presence of AC, using a mixture of DMF and 1-hexanol, followed by alkaline hydrolysis. The composite monolith had alarge specific surface area with mesopore distribution. It not only showed high uptake capacity towards methylene blue (MB) or rhodamine B (RhB) but could also simultaneously adsorb MB and RhB from their mixture, in which the adsorption of one dye was not influenced by the other one. Remarkable effects of solution pH, initial concentration of dye (C ₀), contact time, adsorbent dosage and temperature on the adsorption of MB and RhB onto the composite monolith were demonstrated. The binding data for MB and RhB adsorption on the composite monolith fitted the Freundlich model well, suggesting a heterogeneous surface of the composite monolith. The monolith could retain around 90% of its adsorption capacity after 8 times reuse. These data demonstrate that the cellulose/AC composite monolith has a large potential as a promising adsorbent of low cost and convenient separation for dye in wastewater.     

Electrochemically enhanced adsorption of phenol on activated carbon fibers in basic aqueous solution

Electrosorption isotherms and thermodynamics of phenol on activated carbon fibers (ACFs) in basic solution, as well as the factors (bias potential, initial concentration, and electrolyte) affecting adsorption/electrosorption kinetics, were investigated. The kinetics, which followed the Lagergren adsorption rate law, exhibited a variety of responses depending on bias potential, initial concentration, and electrolyte. The electrosorption isotherms were in agreement with the classical models of Langmuir and Freundlich, but the former gave more satisfactory correlation coefficients. With electrosorption at a bias potential of 700 mV from the basic solution, a nearly 10-fold enhancement of maximum adsorption capacity was achievable. The electrosorption free energy (DeltaG(ads)), enthalpy (DeltaH(ads)), and entropy (DeltaS(ads)) of phenol on the ACFs were calculated from adsorption isotherms at different temperatures. The results indicated that electrosorption of phenol in basic solution was spontaneous and exothermic. Furthermore, it was assessed that electrosorption occurred by dipole-dipole interaction with DeltaH(ads) of -20.14 kJ mol(-1) besides suppositional electrostatic interaction.     

Understanding phenol adsorption mechanisms on activated carbons

The interactions between phenol molecules and activated carbons were investigated in order to understand the adsorption mechanism of this aromatic compound. A series of activated carbons with varied chemical composition but similar porous features were synthesized and submitted to phenol exposure from aqueous phase, followed by thermogravimetric analysis and identification of the desorbed species by temperature programmed desorption coupled with mass spectrometry. Based on these experiments, both physi- and chemisorption sites for phenol were identified on the activated carbons. Our results demonstrate that physisorption of phenol depends strictly on the porosity of the activated carbons, whereas chemisorption depends on the availability of the basal planes in the activated carbons. Thus, oxidation of the carbon can suppress the fraction of chemisorbed phenol since the surface functionalities incorporate to the edges of the basal planes; notwithstanding, hydrophilic carbons may present a small but not negligible contribution of chemisorbed phenol depending on the extent of the functionalization. Moreover, these adsorption sites (chemi-) are recovered by simply removal of the surface functionalities after thermal annealing.     

活性炭表面含氧基团对苯酚吸附平衡及动力学的影响

煤基活性炭分别用烧失处理和HNO3氧化处理后得到不同表面性质的活性炭,采用X射线光电子能谱(XPS)、N2吸附、酸碱滴定及零电荷点(pHPZC)对活性炭表面性质及孔结构进行表征,研究了活性炭表面性质对苯酚吸附平衡和吸附动力学影响.经HNO3氧化后,活性炭表面含氧基团显著增加,烧失处理后,表面含氧基团尤其是羧基显著减少.苯酚最大平衡吸附量随活性炭表面含氧基团的增多而减少,吸附速率常数与碳表面含氧基团的量呈正相关,而吸附活化能与活性炭在一定吸附条件下表面所带电荷多少相关.随着活性炭表面含氧基团增多,吸附活化熵增大(负值减小),苯酚在活性炭表面排列的有序性减小.静态吸附与动态吸附实验结果都表明:在含氧基团较少而碱性更强的活性炭上,发生化学吸附的程度更大.     

一步法合成g-C3N4纳米片用作苯酚可见光降解高效催化剂

石墨相氮化碳(g-C3N4)是一种在室温条件下最稳定的氮化碳.同时g-C3N4的带隙为2.7 eV,可以利用可见光催化很多反应,例如光解水、CO2还原、有机污染物降解和有机物合成.但普通体相g-C3N4的光催化性能不尽如人意,主要是由于普通体相材料的载流子复合效率高,可见光(<450 nm)利用率低且比表面积小.众所周知,半导体的光催化性能与材料表面状态密切相关,因此可以控制合成条件来制备有利于光催化形貌的g-C3N4材料.普通体相g-C3N4材料的比表面积较小,约为10 m2/g,导致传质作用较差,光生电子-空穴复合严重,因此制备高比表面积的g-C3N4材料是目前研究的热点.我们发现在550℃下将三聚氰胺和三聚氰酸一起煅烧可以一步热合成g-C3N4纳米片,合成温度较低,对材料带隙影响小,同时可以提高材料比表面积,从而极大地提高了材料的光降解苯酚性能.XRD测试发现,随着前驱体中三聚氰酸比例增加,材料的主峰从27.38°显著偏移到27.72°.这表明三嗪环面内相连构成CN平面,同时CN层也会有堆叠最终形成g-C3N4材料.通过BET测试,g-C3N4纳米片的比表面积为103.24 m2/g.采用AFM分析得到g-C3N4纳米片的厚度为3.07 nm.研究了该g-C3N4纳米片的光降解性能,结果显示,在可见光照射30 min后,使用这种g-C3N4纳米片作为催化剂的条件下,苯酚降解率达到最优的81%.在5次循环利用后,g-C3N4(1:9)的降解率还能保持在80%以上,说明材料有良好的循环稳定性.这主要得益于材料的纳米片结构,在对苯酚吸附时不会有很复杂的吸附与脱附过程.同时纳米片结构可为有机污染物的吸附和原位降解提供传质通道.光反应体系中的产物由HPLC检测,分析苯酚的降解产物及产物的产量可以大致推测苯酚可能的降解历程.在三聚氰酸作用下,CN聚合层弯曲,减少了CN层之间的相互结合,同时不会对材料的带隙产生影响.同时整个合成过程无需引发剂,也不会导致CN层的基本单元和连接方式发生改变,同时由于二维片层结构,提高了材料的电荷分离效率.通过苯酚的降解实验得知三聚氰胺与三聚氰酸的比例为1:9,在550℃下煅烧得到的g-C3N4纳米片的光降解性能最优,同时具有很好的催化稳定性.     

Bifunctional coordination polymers as efficient catalysts for carbon dioxide conversion

The multidentate ligand H₂ L upon complexation with Zn (II) and Cd (II) provide a one‐dimensional polymeric networks. These coordination polymers (CPs) CP‐1 and CP‐2 containing Zn (II) and Cd (II) metals respectively are well characterized. The single crystal structural analysis confirms the formation of one‐dimensional coordination polymer with zigzag fashion in CP‐1 and ladder chain CP‐2 . Both the CPs are applied as catalysts to synthesize various cyclic carbonates from epoxides and carbon dioxide. The catalysts are giving better conversion under solvent‐free and additive‐free condition using 10 bar CO₂ and 100 °C as optimized pressure and temperature. The detailed kinetic experiments suggesting the first order kinetics, the energy of activation (Ea) is calculated for this catalytic conversion.     

Ligand adsorption on an activated carbon for the removal of chromate ions from aqueous solutions

The results presented in this work are related to the design of a guideline to develop specific properties at the surface of an activated carbon (AC). For this, two model aromatic compounds have been synthesized and their electrolytic behavior in aqueous solutions was studied by a potentiometric method. The textural characteristics of the activated carbon were determined by porosimetry methods. The nature of oxygen-carrying functions and the acid-base behavior of the AC surface were characterized by TPD and potentiometric titration methods, respectively. The adsorption and desorption equilibria of the aromatic compounds on activated carbon were measured in aqueous solutions, and the hysteresis between adsorption and desorption, which reveals irreversible adsorption, was discussed on the basis of the frontier orbital theory. HOMO and LUMO orbitals of the adsorbent and adsorbates were calculated, and irreversible adsorption was attributed to the small energy difference between HOMO and LUMO of the aromatic adsorbates and the adsorbent. Adsorption equilibria of K2CrO4 in aqueous solution on the AC alone and on the AC-aromatic ligand adsorbents, respectively, prove the efficient development of specific chemical functions at the carbon surface provided by the adsorbed aromatic compounds.     

甲烷在石墨化热解碳黑和活性炭上的吸附

为研究影响碳基吸附剂吸附超临界温度气体的主要因素,选择石墨化热解碳黑BP280和Ajax活性炭,分析超临界温度高压甲烷在其上的吸附平衡。应用容积法,在压力0~20.5 MPa、温度253 K~313 K测定甲烷的吸附平衡数据,并由等量吸附线标绘和亨利定律常数确定等量吸附热。引入通用吸附等温方程,再由方程的Langmuir标绘确定最大吸附容量,进而通过方程的线性化计算吸附平衡态中甲烷分子的作用能。结果表明,甲烷在两种吸附剂上的最大吸附容量均随温度而变化,并都小于液态甲烷的密度;甲烷在碳黑和活性炭上的等量吸附热分别为11.9 kJ/mol~12.5 kJ/mol和17.5 kJ/mol~22.5 kJ/mol,体现了两种吸附剂不同的表面能量分布;甲烷分子间作用能随吸附量的变化特点反映了超临界温度甲烷以类似于压缩气体状态聚集的特点和吸附剂结构上的差异。碳基吸附剂的比表面积和微孔容积是影响其储存甲烷容量的重要因素。     

The essential role of Fe(III) ion removal over efficient/low-cost activated carbon: surface chemistry and adsorption behavior

Research on Chemical Intermediates - The efficient/low-cost activated carbons were prepared from inedible fruits such as Cerbera odollam Gaertn, Terminalia catappa, Ficus lyrata, Couroupita...     

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.     

改性活性炭纤维可见光催化联合脱硫脱硝的研究

利用水合肼还原法制备的TiO₂/Cu₂O复合光催化剂对活性炭纤维(ACF)进行改性,利用SEM、XPS、BET以及XRD对其进行表征,研究改性后ACF的性质及其脱硫脱硝效果。研究表明,TiO₂/Cu₂O同时改性后的ACF表面孔径减小,但表面石墨碳和羰基(C=O)官能团增加,增强了ACF对NO和SO₂的吸附能力,从而提高了脱硫脱硝的效率,该催化剂在40℃、可见光的催化下脱硫效率达90%,脱硝效率达60%。     

Adsorptive removal of phenol by bagasse fly ash and activated carbon: Equilibrium,kinetics and thermodynamics

Present study deals with the adsorption of phenol on carbon rich bagasse fly ash (BFA) and activated carbon-commercial grade (ACC) and laboratory grade (ACL). BFA is a solid waste obtained from the particulate collection equipment attached to the flue gas line of the bagasse-fired boilers of cane sugar mills. Batch studies were performed to evaluate the influences of various experimental parameters like initial pH (pH₀), contact time, adsorbent dose and initial concentration (C₀) on the removal of phenol. C₀ varied from 75 to 300 mg/l for the adsorption isotherm studies and the effect of temperature on adsorption. Optimum conditions for phenol removal were found to be pH₀ ≈ 6.5, adsorbent dose ≈10 g/l of solution and equilibrium time ≈5 h. Adsorption of phenol followed pseudo-second order kinetics with the initial sorption rate for adsorption on ACL being the highest followed by those on BFA and ACC. The effective diffusion coefficient of phenol is of the order of 10⁻¹⁰ m²/s. Equilibrium isotherms for the adsorption of phenol on BFA, ACC and ACL were analysed by Freundlich, Langmuir, Temkin, Redlich–Peterson, Radke–Prausnitz and Toth isotherm models using non-linear regression technique. Redlich–Peterson isotherm was found to best represent the data for phenol adsorption on all the adsorbents. The change in entropy (ΔS°) and heat of adsorption (ΔH°) for phenol adsorption on BFA were estimated as 1.8 MJ/kg K and 0.5 MJ/kg, respectively. The high negative value of change in Gibbs free energy (ΔG°) indicates the feasible and spontaneous adsorption of phenol on BFA. The values of isosteric heat of adsorption varied with the surface loading of phenol.     

甲烷在活性炭上吸附平衡模型的研究

比较吸附模型分析甲烷在活性炭上吸附平衡的适用性,为吸附式天然气(ANG)的工程应用提供准确的预测模型。基于在温度268.15～338.15 K、压力0～12.5 MPa测试的甲烷在Ajax活性炭上的吸附平衡数据,选择Langmuir、Langmuir-Freundlich和Toth方程,应用非线性回归拟合方程参数后,确定绝对吸附量和甲烷吸附相态,并比较方程在不同压力区域内的预测精度。结果表明,甲烷吸附相密度随平衡温度和压力变化;由绝对吸附量确定的甲烷在Ajax活性炭上的平均等量吸附热为15.72 kJ/mol,小于由过剩吸附量的标绘结果;Langmuir、Langmuir-Freundlich和Toth方程预测结果在0～0.025 MPa的累积相对误差为6.449 8%、7.918 4%和0.910 0%,在1～10 MPa为0.491 1%、0.161 3%和0.369 4%。Toth方程在整个压力范围内的预测结果最为准确,但Langmuir-Freundlich方程在较高压力区域内具有较高的预测精度。     

Immersion enthalpy and the constants of Langmuir model in the 3-chloro phenol adsorption on activated carbon

The adsorption process of 3-chloro phenol from aqueous solution on a activated carbon prepared from African palm stone and which presents a specific surface area of 685 m² g⁻¹, a greater quantity of total acid groups and a pH_PZC of 6.8 is studied. The adsorption isotherms are determined at pH values of 3, 5, 7, 9 and 11. The adsorption isotherms are fitted to the Langmuir model and the values of the maximum quantity adsorbed that are between 96.2 and 46.4 mg g⁻¹ are obtained along with the constant K_L with values between 0.422 and 0.965 L mg⁻¹. The maximum quantity adsorbed diminishes with the pH and the maximum value for this is a pH of 5. The immersion enthalpies of the activated carbon in a 3-chloro phenol solution of constant concentration, of 100 mg L⁻¹, are determined for the different pH levels, with results between 37.6 and 21.2 J g⁻¹. Immersion enthalpies of the activated carbon in function of 3-chloro phenol solution concentration are determined to pH 5, of maximum adsorption, with values between 28.3 and 38.4 J g⁻¹, and by means of linearization, the maximum immersion enthalpy is calculated, with a value of 41.67 J g⁻¹. With the results of the immersion enthalpy, maximum quantity adsorbed and the constant K_L, establish relations that describe the adsorption process of 3-chloro phenol from aqueous solution on activated carbon.     

活性炭纤维吸附脱除NO过程中NO氧化路径分析

在小型固定床吸附实验台上开展了黏胶基活性炭纤维吸附脱除NO的实验研究。采用H₂O₂溶液浸渍以及热处理方法对活性炭纤维表面进行修饰,以获得表面孔隙结构接近而含氧官能团含量不同的样品;考察样品在惰性氮气气氛、含氧气氛下吸附脱除NO的效果,以及表面含氧含氮官能团的变化规律。探讨了含氧官能团在NO催化氧化过程中的作用及含氧气氛下O₂对于NO转化为NO₂的影响,分析了活性炭纤维表面吸附的NO向NO₂的主要转化途径。结果表明,在氮气气氛下活性炭纤维表面C-O官能团对吸附态的NO起到氧化作用,吸附态NO被C-O官能团氧化生成-NO₂官能团;在含氧气氛下活性炭纤维吸附NO后表面出现-NO₂、-NO₃官能团,通过长时间实验测定三种样品在含氧气氛下对NO吸附的效果,发现三种样品稳定时催化氧化效果一致,表明含氧官能团对初始NO的物理吸附影响较大,而对整个吸附过程影响较小。吸附在活性炭纤维表面上的NO与环境气氛中的游离态O₂发生氧化反应是NO转变为NO₂的主要途径。     

Supported carbon dots decorated with metallothionein for selective cadmium adsorption and removal

Carbon dots are prepared and immobilized onto spherical SiO_2 through a one-step thermal oxidation and then decorated with metallothionein(MT), a protein with high affinity towards thiophilic metals. The MT-carbon dots composites are characterized by means of FT-IR, SEM and TGA, giving rise to a MT loading amount of 823 μg g~(-1). The adsorption of cadmium by the composites is a fast process and follows Langmuir model. In comparison with native SiO_2, a 2- and 2.4-folds improvement on the static and dynamic adsorption capacity of the composites for cadmium are obtained, respectively. Moreover,the adsorption efficiency is not affected by the presence of other metals. Finally, the composites are successfully applied for the removal of cadmium in a series of environmental water samples.     

Water vapor adsorption on activated carbon preadsorbed with naphtalene

The adsorption of water vapor on a microporous activated carbon derived from the carbonization of coconut shell has been studied. Preadsorption of naphthalene was used as a tool to determine the location and the influence of the primary adsorbing centers within the porous structure of active carbon. The adsorption was studied in the pressure range p/p0=0-0.95 in a static water vapor system, allowing the investigation of both kinetic and equilibrium experimental data. Modeling of the isotherms using the modified equation of Do and Do was applied to determine the effect of preadsorption on the mechanism of adsorption.     

Triclosan removal by adsorption using activated carbon derived from waste biomass: Isotherms and kinetic studies

Triclosan is an antimicrobial agent that is normally used in many personal care products such as toothpastes, shampoos, deodorants, and cosmetics and is toxic to some aquatic organisms, amphibians, and the male reproductive system. In this study, activated carbon from coconut pulp waste (Cocos nuciefera) is used to remove triclosan from aqueous solutions. Activated carbon was prepared using coconut pulp waste treated with zinc chloride and burned in a horizontal furnace with nitrogen flow at 300°C for 1 hr. The parameters studied were the contact time, adsorbent dosage, agitation, initial triclosan concentration, pH, and temperature. The characterization of the adsorbent was done by field‐emission scanning electron microscopy and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. The activated carbon reaches equilibrium in 20 min with a percentage removal of 80.77% and adsorbent capacity (q_e) of 2.02 mg/g. From the kinetic study, it was concluded that the adsorbent followed a pseudo‐second‐order type reaction with a correlation coefficient (R²) of .999, and q_e = 2.036 mg/g. From the isotherm study, the adsorbent was found to follow the Langmuir isotherm with a higher R² value of .9249 compared to the Freundlich and Temkin isotherms. This study proved that activated carbon derived from coconut pulp waste can be a promising low‐cost adsorbent to remove dissolved triclosan from water.