Facile synthesis of graphene-based hyper-cross-linked porous carbon composite with superior adsorption capability for chlorophenols

In this work, we proposed a green and cost-effective method to prepare a graphene-based hyper-cross-linked porous carbon composite (GN/HCPC) by one-pot carbonization of hyper-cross-linked polymer (HCP) and glucose. The composite combined the advantages of graphene (GN) and hyper-cross-linked porous carbon (HCPC), leading to high specific surface area (396.93 m²/g) and large total pore volume (0.413 cm³/g). The resulting GN/HCPC composite was applied as an adsorbent to remove 2,4-dichlorophenol (2,4-DCP) from aqueous solutions. The influence of different solution conditions including pH, ionic strength, contact time, system temperature and concentration of humic acid was determined. The maximum adsorption capacity of GN/HCPC composite (calculated by the Langmuir model) could reach 348.43 mg/g, which represented increases of 43.6% and 13.6% over those of the as-prepared pure GN and HCPC, respectively. The Langmuir model and pseudo-second-order kinetic model were found to fit well with the adsorption process. Thermodynamic experiments suggested that the adsorption proceeded spontaneously and endothermically. In addition, the GN/HCPC composite showed high adsorption performance toward other organic contaminants including tetracycline, bisphenol A and phenol. Measurement of the adsorption capability of GN/HCPC in secondary effluent revealed a slight decrease over that in pure water solution. This study demonstrated that the GN/HCPC composite can be utilized as a practical and efficient adsorbent for the removal of organic contaminants in wastewater.