Catalytic decomposition of low level ozone with gold nanoparticles supported on activated carbon

Highly dispersed gold nanoparticles were supported on coal-based activated carbon (AC) by a sol immobilization method and were used to investigate their catalytic activity for low-level ozone decomposition at ambient temperature. Nitrogen adsorption-desorption, scanning electron microscope (SEM), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) were used to characterize the catalysts before and after ozone decomposition. The results showed that the supported gold nanoparticles prepared with microwave heating were much smaller and more uniformly dispersed on the activated carbon than those prepared with traditional conduction heating, exhibiting higher catalytic activity for ozone decomposition. The pH values of gold precursor solution significantly influenced the catalytic activity of supported gold for ozone decomposition, and the best pH value was 8. In the case of space velocity of 120000h⁻¹, inlet ozone concentration of 50mg/m³, and relative humidity of 45%, the Au/AC catalyst maintained the ozone removal ratio at 90.7% after 2500min. After being used for ozone decomposition, the surface carbon of the catalyst was partly oxidized and the oxygen content increased accordingly, while its specific surface area and pore volume only decreased a little. Ozone was mainly catalytically decomposed by the gold nanoparticles supported on the activated carbon.     

Removing carbonyl sulfide with metal-modified activated carbon

A Cu-Co-K/activated carbon (AC) adsorbent has been developed for the removal of carbonyl sulfide (COS). The effects of COS concentration, reaction temperature and relative humidity were closely examined. A breakthrough of 33.23 mg COS·g⁻¹ adsorbent at 60°C, under 30% relative humidity and in presence of 1.0% oxygen was exhibited in the Cu-Co-K/AC adsorbent prepared. Competitive adsorption studies for COS in the presence of CS₂, and H₂S were also conducted. TPD analysis was used to identify sulfur-containing products on the carbon surface, and the results indicated that H₂S, COS and SO₂ were all evident in the effluent gas generated from the exhausted Cu-Co-K/AC. Structure of the activated carbon samples has been characterized using nitrogen adsorption, and their surface chemical structures were also determined with X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). It turns out that the modification with Cu(OH)₂CO₃-CoPcS-KOH can significantly improve the COS removal capacity, forming SO42− species simultaneously. Regeneration of the spent activated carbon sorbents by thermal desorption has also been explored.     

微波诱导改性活性炭催化处理低浓度抗生素废水

通过采用负载FeSO4活性炭、CuSO4活性炭和一般活性炭作为微波催化剂处理抗生素废水的对比实验,研究不同负载方法对抗生素制药废水COD去除的差别,结果表明,负载FeSO4的活性炭作为催化剂的微波处理系统对COD的去除率最高.以微波诱导负载FeSO4的活性炭为催化剂对抗生素制药废水进行处理,结果表明,增大负载FeSO4活性炭质量,微波辐射时间和微波功率,均有利于抗生素废水中COD的去除,但各影响因素的取值并不是越大越好.对微波诱导负载FeSO4活性炭催化工艺处理抗生素废水进行反应动力学分析,结果显示,过程近似一级反应,其动力学方程为:lnC0/C=0.1413t+5.4121,r=0.9876.反应动力学常数为0.1413 min-1.     

改性污泥活性炭对苯乙烯的吸附

以城市污泥为原料制备活性炭,对其进行改性,研究了改性前后的比表面积、表面酸碱基团、对苯乙烯的静态吸附容量、吸附穿透曲线、脱附活化能等吸附性能.结果表明,硫酸铜溶液浸渍改性后可使污泥活性炭比表面积明显提高,其中0.1 mol.L-1硫酸铜溶液浸渍改性的污泥活性炭较改性前的比表面积提高了32%(达704.7 m.2g-1).硫酸铝溶液和硫酸铜溶液浸渍改性可以使污泥活性炭表面酸性基团含量提高、表面碱性基团含量减少;对苯乙烯的静态吸附容量提高到改性前的两倍以上(分别达211.4 mg.g-1和178.8 mg.g-1)、对苯乙烯的动态吸附穿透时间由2 min提高到10 min以上、脱附活化能由2.94 kJ.mol-1提高到6 kJ.mol-1以上.改性后活性污泥炭的吸附性能得到明显提高.     

Influence of pore structure on biologically activated carbon performance and biofilm microbial characteristics

• Pore structure affects biologically activated carbon performance. • Pore structure determines organic matter (OM) removal mechanism. • Microbial community structure is related to pore structure and OM removal. Optimizing the characteristics of granular activated carbon (GAC) can improve the performance of biologically activated carbon (BAC) filters, and iodine value has always been the principal index for GAC selection. However, in this study, among three types of GAC treating the same humic acid-contaminated water, one had an iodine value 35% lower than the other two, but the dissolved organic carbon removal efficiency of its BAC was less than 5% away from the others. Iodine value was found to influence the removal of different organic fractions instead of the total removal efficiency. Based on the removal and biological characteristics, two possible mechanisms of organic matter removal during steady-state were suggested. For GAC with poor micropore volume and iodine value, high molecular weight substances (3500–9000 Da) were removed mainly through degradation by microorganisms, and the biodegraded organics (soluble microbial by-products,<3500 Da) were released because of the low adsorption capacity of activated carbon. For GAC with higher micropore volume and iodine value, organics with low molecular weight (<3500 Da) were more easily removed, first being adsorbed by micropores and then biodegraded by the biofilm. The biomass was determined by the pore volume with pore diameters greater than 100 μm, but did not correspond to the removal efficiency. Nevertheless, the microbial community structure was coordinate with both the pore structure and the organic removal characteristics. The findings provide a theoretical basis for selecting GAC for the BAC process based on its pore structure.     

Concurrent adsorption and reduction of chromium(VI) to chromium(III) using nitrogen-doped porous carbon adsorbent derived from loofah sponge

• A high-efficiency N-doped porous carbon adsorbent for Cr(VI) was synthesized. • The maximum adsorption capacity of Cr(VI) reached up to 285.71 mg/g at 318K. • The potential mechanism for Cr(VI) adsorption by NHPC was put forward. • DFT analyzed the adsorption energy and interaction between NHPC and Cr(VI). To develop highly effective adsorbents for chromium removal, a nitrogen-doped biomass-derived carbon (NHPC) was synthesized via direct carbonation of loofah sponge followed by alkali activation and doping modification. NHPC possessed a hierarchical micro-/mesoporous lamellar structure with nitrogen-containing functional groups (1.33 at%), specific surface area (1792.47 m²/g), and pore volume (1.18 cm³/g). NHPC exhibited a higher Cr(VI) adsorption affinity than the HPC (without nitrogen doping) or the pristine loofah sponge carbon (LSC) did. The influence of process parameters, including pH, dosage, time, temperature, and Cr(VI) concentration, on Cr(VI) adsorption by NHPC were evaluated. The Cr(VI) adsorption kinetics matched with the pseudo-second-order model (R²≥0.9983). The Cr(VI) adsorption isotherm was fitted with the Langmuir isotherm model, which indicated the maximum Cr(VI) adsorption capacities: 227.27, 238.10, and 285.71 mg/g at 298K, 308K, and 318K, respectively. The model analysis also indicated that adsorption of Cr(VI) on NHPC was a spontaneous, endothermal, and entropy-increasing process. The Cr(VI) adsorption process potentially involved mixed reductive and adsorbed mechanism. Furthermore, computational chemistry calculations revealed that the adsorption energy between NHPC and Cr(VI) (−0.84 eV) was lower than that of HPC (−0.51 eV), suggesting that nitrogen doping could greatly enhance the interaction between NHPC and Cr(VI).     

Removal of phenol by powdered activated carbon adsorption

In this study, the adsorption performance of powdered activated carbon (PAC) on phenol was investigated in aqueous solutions. Batch adsorption studies were performed to evaluate the effects of various experimental parameters like PAC type, PAC dose, initial solution pH, temperature and pre-oxidation on the adsorption of phenol by PAC and establish the adsorption kinetics, thermodynamics and isothermal models. The results indicated that PAC adsorption is an effective method to remove phenol from water, and the effects of all the five factors on adsorption of phenol were significant. The adsorption rate of phenol by PAC was rapid, and more than 80% phenol could be absorbed by PAC within the initial 10 min. The adsorption process can be well described by pseudo-second-order adsorption kinetic model with rate constant amounted to 0.0313, 0.0305 and 0.0241 mg·μg ^-1·min ^-1 with coal, coconut shell and bamboo charcoal. The equilibrium data of phenol absorbed onto PAC were analyzed by Langmuir, Freundlich and Tempkin adsorption isotherms and Freundlich adsorption isotherm model gave the best correlation with the experimental data. Thermodynamic parameters such as the standard Gibbs free energy (?G^o), enthalpy (?H^o) and entropy (?S^o) obtained in this study indicated that the adsorption of phenol by PAC is spontaneous, exothermic and entropy decreasing.     

花生壳活性炭对反渗透(RO)浓水的吸附特性

以花生壳活性炭对RO浓水进行吸附处理,利用傅立叶红外光谱(FTIR)和荧光光谱(EEM)研究花生壳活性炭对不同pH的RO浓水的吸附特性.结果表明,花生壳活性炭对溶解性有机碳(DOC)的吸附遵循准二级吸附动力学方程,特别是碱性条件下,DOC的吸附量随着pH的升高而降低.而且pH越高,达到吸附平衡的时间越长.通过FTIR光谱分析发现,活性炭的芳香结构吸收峰在吸附后红移至1630 cm-1,表明被吸附的有机物在该处有明显的特征吸收峰,而C—O和O—H官能团的吸收峰则因为钙离子等物质的吸附而显著降低.由EEM光谱分析可知,RO浓水的荧光物质主要由腐殖酸类腐殖质和富里酸类腐殖质组成,其荧光强度与DOC之间具有较好的线性相关性.     

Comparison of membrane fouling in ultrafiltration of down-flow and up-flow biological activated carbon effluents

The UF membrane fouling by down- and up-flow BAC effluents were compared. Up-flow BAC effluent fouled the membrane faster than down-flow BAC effluent. The combined effects dominated irreversible fouling. The extent of fouling exacerbated by inorganic particles was higher. The TMP, permeate flux, and normalized membrane flux during 21 days of UF of DBAC and UBAC effluents. Fouling during ultrafiltration of down- and up-flow biological activated carbon effluents was investigated to determine the roles of polysaccharides, proteins, and inorganic particles in ultrafiltration membrane fouling. During ultrafiltration of down- flow biological activated carbon effluent, the trans-membrane pressure was≤26 kPa and the permeate flux was steady at 46.7 L?m⁻²?h⁻¹. However, during ultrafiltration of up-flow biological activated carbon effluent, the highest trans-membrane pressure was almost 40 kPa and the permeate flux continuously decreased to 30 L?m⁻²?h⁻¹. At the end of the filtration period, the normalized membrane fluxes were 0.88 and 0.62 for down- and up-flow biological activated carbon effluents, respectively. The membrane removed the turbidity and polysaccharides content by 47.4% and 30.2% in down- flow biological activated effluent and 82.5% and 22.4% in up-flow biological activated carbon effluent, respectively, but retained few proteins. The retention of polysaccharides was higher on the membrane that filtered the down- flow biological activated effluent compared with that on the membrane that filtered the up-flow biological activated carbon effluent. The polysaccharides on the membranes fouled by up-flow biological activated carbon and down- flow biological activated effluents were spread continuously and clustered, respectively. These demonstrated that the up-flow biological activated carbon effluent fouled the membrane faster. Membrane fouling was associated with a portion of the polysaccharides (not the proteins) and inorganic particles in the feed water. When there was little difference in the polysaccharide concentrations between the feed waters, the fouling extent was exacerbated more by inorganic particles than by polysaccharides.     

Steam activation,characterisation and adsorption studies of activated carbon from maize tassels

In this paper, steam-produced activated carbon (STAC) from maize tassel (MT) was evaluated for its ability to remove basic dye (methylene blue MB) from aqueous solution in a batch adsorption process. The equilibrium experiments were conducted in the range of 50–300 mg/L initial MB concentrations at 30°C, for effect of pH, adsorbent dosage and contact time. The experimental data were analysed by Langmuir, Freundlich and Temkin isotherm models of adsorption. Freundlich adsorption isotherm was found to have highest value of R²(R²=0.97) compared to other models of Langmuir and Temkin having (0.96 and 0.95 respectively). STAC has a high adsorptive capacity for MB dye (200 mg/g) and also showed favourable adsorption for the dye with the separation factor (R_L<1) for the dye-activated carbon system. The kinetic data obtained were analysed using pseudo first-order kinetic equation and pseudo second-order kinetic equation. The experimental data fitted well into pseudo second-order kinetic equation, as demonstrated by the high value of R².     

Adsorption of benzene and toluene from waste gas using activated carbon activated by ZnCl2

A series of activated carbons with high surface area were prepared from walnut shell using chemical activation with ZnCl2. In this research the carbonization stage was carried out at 500℃. The performance of the synthesized carbons evaluated in adsorption of benzene and toluene from waste gas. The influence of impregnation ratio on the characteristics of synthesized activated carbons as well as their adsorption capacity was investigated. The ratio of activation agent to walnut shell was selected in the range of 0.5-2.0 wt/wt. The synthesized activated carbons were characterized using XRD, SEM, BET and FTIR techniques. The highest activated carbon production yield was obtained at impregnation ratio of 1.5 wt/wt. The XRD analysis illustrated that peaks intensity decreased with increasing impregnation ratio showing that amorphous property of samples was increased. The SEM analysis revealed successful pore development in synthesized activated carbons obtained at high impregnation ratios. The surface area of the activated carbons increased with increasing impregnation ratio and its maximum value reached 2643 m2.g 1 at impregnation ratio of 2/1. FTIR analysis indicated that the relative amount of different acidic surface groups on synthesized carbons was a function of impregnation ratio. Experimental results for benzene and toluene adsorption showed a high potential of employing synthesized impregnated activated carbon for treatment of waste gas. Generally, the amount of VOC adsorbed on the surface was affected by physicochemical properties of synthesized activated carbons.     

Catalytic fast pyrolysis of Kraft lignin with HZSM-5 zeolite for producing aromatic hydrocarbons

Catalytic fast pyrolysis (CFP) of Kraft lignins with HZSM-5 zeolite for producing aromatics was investigated using analytical pyrolysis methods. Two Kraft lignins were fast pyrolyzed in the absence and presence of HZSM-5 in a Curie-point pyrolyzer. Without the catalyst, fast pyrolysis of lignin predominantly produced phenols and guaiacols that were derived from the subunits of lignin. However, the presence of HZSM-5 changed the product distribution dramatically. As the SiO₂/Al₂O₃ ratio of HZSM-5 decreased from 200 to 25 and the catalyst-to-lignin ratio increased from 1 to 20, the lignin-derived oxygenates progressively decreased to trace and the aromatics increased substantially. The aromatic yield increased considerably as the pyrolysis temperature increased from 500°C to 650°C, but then decreased with yet further increase of pyrolysis temperature. Under optimal reaction conditions, the aromatic yields were 2.0 wt.% and 5.2 wt.% for the two lignins that had effective hydrogen indexes of 0.08 and 0.35.     

Removal of Cu（ll） ions from aqueous solution by activated carbon impregnated with humic acid

Humic acid （HA） was impregnated onto powdered activated carbon to improve its Cu（II） adsorption capability. The optimum pH value for Cu（II） removal was 6. The maximum adsorption capacity of HAimpregnated activated carbon was up to 5.98mg.g-1, which is five times the capacity of virgin activated carbon. The adsorption processes were rapid and accompanied by changes in pH. In using a linear method, it was determined that the equilibrium experimental data were better represented by the Langmuir isotherm than by the Freundlich isotherm. Surface charges and surface functional groups were studied through zeta potential and FTIR measurements to explain the mechanism behind the humicacid modification that enhanced the Cu（II） adsorption capacity of activated carbon.     

不同微波条件对活性炭微波再生效率的影响研究

研究了吸附药厂废水COD的粉末活性炭在不同微波条件下的微波再生。以碘吸附值为指标,通过单因素实验考查了微波功率、微波辐照时间对粉末活性炭性能恢复率、再生损耗率、综合恢复率的影响,结合实验拟合曲线特点,分析了呈现的规律和原因。实验结果表明,在微波功率为648W、辐照时间为180s时活性炭性能恢复率达到最大,为99.73%;在功率为464W、时间为180s时综合恢复率最佳,为96.81%。     

Removal of heavy metals from aqueous solutions using activated carbon prepared from Cicer arietinum

Removal of Cu²⁺, Cd²⁺, Pb²⁺, and Zn²⁺ from aqueous solutions by activated carbon prepared from stems and seed hulls of Cicer arietinum, an agricultural solid waste, has been studied. The influence of various parameters, such as pH, contact time, adsorbent dose, and initial concentration of metal ions on removal was evaluated. The activated carbon was characterized by FT-IR spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, and elemental analysis. Sorption isotherms were studied using Langmuir and Freundlich isotherm models. All experimental sorption data were fitted to the sorption models using nonlinear least-squares regression. The maximum adsorption capacity values for activated carbon prepared from Cicer arietinum waste for metal ions were 18 mg g^?1 (Cu²⁺), 18 mg g^?1 (Cd²⁺), 20 mg g^?1 (Pb²⁺), and 20 mg g^?1 (Zn²⁺), respectively. The Freundlich isotherm model fit was best, followed by the pseudo-second-order kinetic model. Desorption studies were carried out with dilute hydrochloric acid for quantitative recovery of the metal ions and for regeneration of the adsorbent.     

Kinetic and equilibrium study of Alizarin Red S removal by activated carbon

Activated carbon has been applied for the adsorption of Alizarin Red S (ARS) from the waste water in a batch method to obtain high removal percentage. The influence of variables such as pH, temperature, ARS concentration, mass and size of adsorbent, and contact time on ARS removal percentage was investigated. Different kinetics, thermodynamics, and isotherm models were applied for fitting the experimental data. The adsorption process follows a pseudo second-order kinetic model with R ² of 0.98 and Freundlich, Tempkin, and Dubinin-Radushkevich isotherm models with high determination coefficients (R ²) of 0.91, 0.98, and 0.98, respectively. High enthalpy (positive value), Gibbs free energy (negative value), and high entropy values shows the feasibility and the endothermic spontaneous nature of the removal process.     

微波诱导活性炭氧化降解阳离子红GTL废水的特性

采用微波诱导氧化工艺技术,以活性炭为催化剂,对阳离子红GTL染料废水进行氧化处理,考察了活性炭用量、微波功率、反应时间及染料初始质量浓度对阳离子红GTL去除率的影响,利用SEM/EDS、BET表征了反应前后活性炭的结构及组分变化.结果表明:微波和活性炭具有协同效应;在pH=7.0,活性炭用量4 g,阳离子红质量浓度为50 mg·L-1,微波功率300 W,反应时间4 min的条件下,阳离子红GTL去除率达到99.4%;活性炭的结构与组分影响阳离子红GTL的微波处理效果.     

可燃吸附剂从焦化废水中分离潜热实现低能耗工艺的实验研究——以活性炭为例

以活性炭和焦化废水为例,将吸附废水尾水的粉末活性炭(PAC)分离,再吸附原水,从吸附过程和投加量考察COD的去除,运用GC/MS对吸附过程的微观组分进行解析,再进行燃烧热值测定.研究结果表明,针对尾水选择合适粉末活性炭,少量投加即可使出水COD达标排放;吸附尾水时主要去除生物系统难以降解的有机组分,再吸附原水时,对酚类物质、氮杂环化合物以及多环芳烃类都具有显著的效果,表现出非选择性,吸附过程完全受控于高浓度组分;单位废水可提供的热值Qw=(45.990±3.521)×Cm,吸附原水有机物的活性炭,其燃烧热值有显著提高,增量ΔQ由ΔQ=(45.990±3.521)×(Cm-Ce)×V决定.针对高浓度难降解的工业有机废水,上述工艺通过能源回收的方式可实现工程造价与运行费用的显著降低.     

Treatment of methylene blue-containing wastewater using microorganisms supported on granular activated carbon under packed column operation

We studied the feasibility of using biological granular activated carbon-packed column in treating methylene blue-containing wastewater. The granular activated carbon with immobilized microbes was packed into a column and fed with 3 liter methylene blue-containing wastewater daily. With initial 1350 mg/l of methylene blue and 1550 mg/l of chemical oxygen demand, it was observed that the colour and chemical oxygen demand removal efficiencies were 99 and 78%, respectively. The high treatment performance of the system could be due to the simultaneous adsorption and biodegradation processes and advantages of immobilized microbes compare to suspended cell system.     

Effect of biological activated carbon filter depth and backwashing process on transformation of biofilm community

We studied BAC biofilm during the process of initial operation and backwash. Microbial diversity decreased gradually with the increase of BAC filter depth. Proteobacteria dominated at the phylum level among the BAC biofilm samples. α-proteobacteria increased about 10% in all carbon filter depth after backwash. The biological activated carbon (BAC) is a popular advanced water treatment to the provision of safe water supply. A bench-scale device was designed to gain a better insight into microbial diversity and community structure of BAC biofilm by using high-throughput sequencing method. Both samples of BAC biofilm (the first, third and fifth month) and water (inlet water and outlet water of carbon filter, outlet water of backwashing) were analyzed to evaluate the impact of carbon filter depth, running time and backwash process. The results showed that the microbial diversity of biofilm decreased generally with the increase of carbon filter depth and biofilm reached a steady-state at the top layer of BAC after three months’ running. Proteobacteria (71.02%–95.61%) was found to be dominant bacteria both in biofilms and water samples. As one of opportunistic pathogen, the Pseudomonas aeruginosa in the outlet water of device (1.20%) was about eight times higher than that in the inlet water of device (0.16%) at the genus level after five-month operation. To maintain the safety of drinking water, the backwash used in this test could significantly remove Sphingobacteria (from 8.69% to 5.09%, p<0.05) of carbon biofilm. After backwashing, the operational taxonomic units (OTUs) number and the Shannon index decreased significantly (p<0.05) at the bottom of carbon column and we found the Proteobacteria increased by about 10% in all biofilm samples from different filter depth. This study reveals the transformation of BAC biofilm with the impact of running time and backwashing.