Prussian blue is known as a superior material for selective adsorption of radioactive cesium ions; however, the separation of Prussian blue from aqueous suspension, due to particle size of around several tens of nanometers, is a hurdle that must be overcome. Therefore, this study aims to develop granule type adsorbent material containing Prussian blue in order to selectively adsorb and remove radioactive cesium in water. The surface of granular activated carbon was grafted using a covalent organic polymer (COP-19) in order to enhance Prussian blue immobilization. To maximize the degree of immobilization and minimize subsequent detachment of Prussian blue, several immobilization pathways were evaluated. As a result, the highest cesium adsorption performance was achieved when Prussian blue was synthesized in-situ without solid-liquid separation step during synthesis. The sample obtained under optimal conditions was further analyzed by scanning electron microscope-energy dispersive spectrometry, and it was confirmed that Prussian blue, which is about 9.7% of the total weight, was fixed on the surface of the activated carbon; this level of fixing represented a two-fold improvement compared to before COP-19 modification. In addition, an elution test was carried out to evaluate the stability of Prussian blue. Leaching of Prussian blue and cesium decreased by 1/2 and 1/3, respectively, compared to those levels before modification, showing increased stability due to COP-19 grafting. The Prussian blue based adsorbent material developed in this study is expected to be useful as a decontamination material to mitigate the release of radioactive materials.

본 연구에서는 활성탄소섬유를 이용하여 축전식 탈염공정에 적용할 탄소전극을 제조하였다. polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF)를 바인더로 사용했으며 적절한 용매에 활성탄소섬유를 배합한 후 상용의 그라파이트 시트에 캐스팅하여 탄소전극을 제조하였다. 이 때 활성탄소섬유의 입자 크기를 달리하였고, 용매, 고분자 바인더 그리고 활성탄소섬유를 80 : 2 : 18, 80 : 5 : 15의 배합비율로 전극을 제조하였다. 그런 다음 염 제거 효율을 흡착전압과 시간, 탈착전압과 시간, NaCl 공급액의 농도와 유속 등에 운전조건에 대하여 염 제거 효율을 측정하였다. 대표적으로 활성탄소섬유의 입자크기가 32 μm 이하이며 80 : 2 : 18의 배합비율에서 1.2 V, 3분의 흡착조건, -0.1 V, 1분의 탈착조건, NaCl 100 mg/L, 15 mL/min의 공급액 조건에서 53.6%의 염 제거 효율을 보였다.

실 산성 도금폐수를 입상활성탄(GAC)이 유동메디아로 첨가된 유동상 멤브레인 반응기를 이용하여 처리하였다. GAC 유동조건에서 적용 투과플럭스에 대해 시간에 따른 흡입압의 증가는 관찰되지 않았다. 폐수의 중성 pH에서 파울링 속도는 산성 조건에 비해 GAC 유동조건에서 크게 감소하였다. 해당 폐수의 용액 pH 증가는 입자크기의 증가를 가져왔고 이는 멤브레인 표면에서 상대적으로 성긴 구조의 케이크층 형성을 야기시켰다. 유동상 멤브레인 반응기에서 GAC 유동 하에 95% 이상의 COD 제거율이 관찰되었으며 총부유물질은 거의 완벽하게 제거되었다. 실 도금폐수의 pH에서, 유동상 멤브레인 반응기의 구리 및 크롬의 제거는 거의 관찰 되지 않았다. 그러나 pH를 중성으로 증가 시켰을 시 구리와 크롬의 제거율은 각각 99%와 94%까지 증가를 하였다. 적용해 준 pH에 상관 없이, 시안의 경우 95% 이상의 제거율을 달성하였다. 이는 유기물과 시안 착물 형성으로 인해 유동상 멤브레인 반응기 내 GAC의 강한 흡착으로 제거된 것으로 사료된다.

TiO2-doped activated carbon fibers (ACFs) were successfully prepared as capacitive deionization (CDI) electrode materials by facile ultrasonication-assisted process. ACFs were treated with titanium isopropoxide (TTIP) and isopropyl alcohol solutions of different concentrations and then calcinated by ultrasonication without heat-treatment. The results show that a certain amount of anatase TiO2 was present on the ACF surface. The specific capacitance of the TiO2-doped ACF electrode was remarkably improved (by 93.8% at scan rate of 50 mV s–1) over that of the untreated ACF electrode, despite decreases in the specific surface area and total pore volume upon TiO2 doping. From the CDI experiments, the salt adsorption capacity and charge efficiency of the sample with TTIP percent concentration of 15% were found to considerably increase by 71.9 and 57.1%, respectively. These increases are attributed to the improved wettability of the electrode, which increases the number of surface active sites and facilitates salt ion diffusion in the ACF pores. Additionally, the Ti-OH groups of TiO2 act as electrosorption sites, which increases the electrosorption capacity.

본 연구에서는 시판되는 탄소전극의 제조에 활용되는 활성탄의 형태가 아닌, 활성탄소섬유를 이용하여 축전식 탈염공정에 적용할 탄소전극을 제조하였다. polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF)를 지지체로 사용하며 활성탄소섬유를 배합한 후 시판되는 그라파이트 시트에 캐스팅하여 탄소전극을 제조한 다음 염 제거 효율을 평가하였다. 활성탄소섬유의 입자 크기를 달리하였고 용매와 고분자 지지체 그리고 활성탄소섬유를 80 : 2 : 18, 80 : 5 : 15의 배합비율로 전극을 제조하였다. 축전식 탈염공정 운전조건으로 흡착전압, 시간, 탈착전압, 시간, NaCl 공급액의 농도와 유속 등을 달리하여 제조한 활성탄소섬유전극의 성능을 평가하였다.

The South Korean Ministry of the Environment has revised the laws relating to the management of interior air quality for multiple use facilities, and recommends maintaining carbon dioxide (CO2) concentration in passenger vehicles below 1000 ppm during operation in urban areas of large cities. However, the interior CO2 concentration of passenger vehicles can rapidly increase and exceed 5000 ppm within 30 min, as observed when two passengers are traveling in urban areas of the South Korean city of Jeonju with the air conditioner blower turned off and the actuator mode set to internal circulation mode. With four passengers, CO2 concentration can reach up to 6000 ppm within 10 min. To counter this, when the actuator is set to external mode, CO2 concentration can be maintained below 1000 ppm, even after a long period of running time. As part of the air conditioning system, alkali-treated activated carbon fiber filters are considered to be far superior to the commercial non-woven filters or combination filters currently commonly in use.

Soybean straw (SS)-based activated carbon was employed as a precursor to prepare carbon molecular sieves (CMSs) via chemical vapor deposition (CVD) technique using methane as carbon source. Prior to the CVD process, SS was activated by 0.5 wt% ZnCl2, followed by a carbonization at 500°C for 1 h in N2 atmosphere. N2 (77 K) adsorption-desorption and CO2 (273 K) adsorption tests were carried out to analyze the pore structure of the prepared CMSs. The results show that increasing the deposition temperature, time or methane flow rate leads the decrease in N2 adsorption capacity, micropore volume and average pore diameter of CMSs. The adsorption selectivity coefficient of CO2/CH4 achieves as high as 20.8 over CMSs obtained under the methane flow rate of 30 mL min–1 at 800°C for 70 min. The study demonstrates the prepared CMSs are a candidate adsorbent for CO2/CH4 separation.

Activated carbon (AC) was modified by ammonium persulphate or nitric acid, respectively. AC and the modified materials were used as catalyst supports. The oxygen groups were introduced in the supports during the modifications. All the supports were characterized by N2-physisorption, Raman, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and thermogravimetric analysis. Methanol synthesis catalysts were prepared through wet impregnation of copper nitrate and zinc nitrate on the supports followed by thermal decomposition. These catalysts were measured by the means of N2-physisorption, X-ray diffraction, XPS, temperature programmed reduction and TEM tests. The catalytic performances of the prepared catalysts were compared with a commercial catalyst (CZA) in this work. The results showed that the methanol production rate of AC-CZ (23 mmol- CH3OH/(g-Cu·h)) was higher, on Cu loading basis, than that of CZA (9 mmol-CH3OH/ (g-Cu·h)). We also found that the modification methods produced strong metal-support interactions leading to poor catalytic performance. AC without any modification can prompt the catalytic performance of the resulted catalyst.

In this study, composite PAN-based ACNFs embedded with MgO and MnO2 were prepared by the electrospinning method. The resultant pristine ACNFs, ACNF/MgO and ACNF/MnO2 were characterized in terms of their morphological changes, SSA, crystallinity and functional group with FESEM-EDX, the BET method, XRD and FTIR analysis, respectively. Results from this study showed that the SSA of the ACNF/MgO composite (1893 m2 g–1) is significantly higher than that of the pristine ACNFs and ACNF/MnO2 which is 478 and 430 m2 g–1, respectively. FTIR analysis showed peaks of 476 and 547 cm–1, indicating the presence of MgO and MnO2, respectively. The FESEM micrographs analysis showed a smooth but coarser structure in all the ACNFs. Meanwhile, the ACNF/MgO has the smallest fiber diameter (314.38±62.42 nm) compared to other ACNFs. The presence of MgO and MnO2 inside the ACNFs was also confirmed with EDX analysis as well as XRD. The adsorption capacities of each ACNF toward CH4 were tested with the volumetric adsorption method in which the ACNF/MgO exhibited the highest CH4 adsorption up to 2.39 mmol g–1. Meanwhile, all the ACNF samples followed the pseudo-second order kinetic model with a R2 up to 0.9996.

본 연구에서는 열분해잔사유(Pyrolysis Fuel Oil, PFO)를 이용한 Pitch계 활성탄소섬유를 제조하였다. 제조한 Pitch안정화 섬유의 탄화 및 활성화 온도를 850, 880, 900 ℃로 달리하여 각각 다른 샘플의 기공형성에 대한 영향을 알아보기 위해 BET 와 SEM을 이용하여 비교 분석하였다. 세 가지 샘플 ACF850, ACF880, ACF900를 분석한 결과 ACF880의 비표면적과 미세 기공표면적이 각각 1,420 m2·g-1, 1,270 m2·g-1으로 가장 높았으며, 외부비표면적과 BJH흡착누적공극표면에서 가장 낮은 중기공표면적이 도출되었다. 또한 N2가스 등온흡착곡선을 분석한 결과, 미세기공의 분포가 균일한 것을 확인할 수 있었다. ACF880은 흡착률 및 흡착속도에서도 가장 높은 결과값을 보이며, 흡착속도는 미세기공표면적과 비례하며 중기공표면적과 반비례함을 알 수 있었다. 제조한 Pitch계 활성탄소섬유를 라돈 연속측정방법을 통해 48시간 동안 측정한 결과 샘플 모두 라돈 흡착성능을 보였다. 제 조한 샘플 중 ACF880이 34.0%로 가장 높은 흡착률을 보였으며, ACF850이 29.5%로 가장 낮은 흡착률을 나타내었다. 이는 비표면적이 높을수록 흡착률이 높아지는 것을 알 수 있었다. 이를 선형회귀선 기울기로 환산하여 흡착속도로 확인한 결과 ACF880이 -1.89로 가장 빠른 것을 확인하였으며, ACF900이 -1.48로 가장 낮은 흡착속도를 보여 미세기공표면적이 높을수 록, 중기공표면적이 낮을수록 흡착속도가 증가하는 것을 알 수 있었다.

In the present study, biomass-based lignin was extracted from industrial waste black liquor and the extracted lignin was characterized by means of attenuated total reflectance- Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and 1H-nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. The extracted lignin was carbonized at different temperatures and then activated with steam at 850oC. The extracted lignin in powder state was transformed into a bulky carbonized lignin due to possible fusion between the lignin particles occurring upon carbonization. The carbonized and then pulverized lignin exhibits brittle surfaces, the increased thermal stability, and the carbon assay with increasing the carbonization temperature. The scanning electron microscopic images and the Brunauer-Emmett-Teller result indicate that the steam-activated carbon has the specific surface area of 1718 m2/g, which is markedly greater than the carbonized lignin. This study reveals that biomassbased activated carbon with highly porous structure can be produced from costless black liquor via steam-activation process.

Activated carbons (ACs) have been used as electrode materials of electric double-layer capacitors (EDLC) due to their high specific surface areas (SSA), stability, and ecological advantages. In order to make high-energy-density ACs for EDLC, petroleum pitch (PP) precarbonized at 500–1000°C in N2 gas for 1 h was used as the electrode material of the EDLC after KOH activation. As the pre-carbonization temperature increased, the SSA, pore volume and gravimetric capacitance tended to decrease, but the crystallinity and electrode density tended to increase, showing a maximum volumetric capacitance at a medium carbonization temperature. Therefore, it was possible to control the crystalline structure, SSA, and pore structure of AC by changing the pre-carbonization temperature. Because the electrode density increased with increasing of the pre-carbonization temperature, the highest volumetric capacitance of 28.4 F/cc was obtained from the PP pre-carbonized at 700°C, exhibiting a value over 150% of that of a commercial AC (MSP-20) for EDLC. Electrochemical activation was observed from the electrodes of PP as they were pre-carbonized at high temperatures above 700°C and then activated by KOH. This process was found to have a significant effect on the specific capacitance and it was demonstrated that the higher charging voltage of EDLC was, the greater the electrochemical activation effect was.

고강도, 내약품성, 무독성, 내연소성의 장점을 가지고 있는 PVdF (polyvinylidene fluoride) 나노섬유로 기공이 0.4 μm 평막을 제조한 후, 부직포와 평막으로 나권형 모듈을 제작하였다. 용존유기물의 흡착 제거를 위한 입상 활성탄(GAC, granular activated carbon) 흡착 컬럼과 자체 제작한 나권형 모듈로 혼성 수처리 공정을 구성하였다. 카올린과 휴믹산으로 조 제한 모사 용액을 대상으로, 처리수를 재순환하는 경우와 배출하는 경우 각각 GAC 충진량의 영향을 알아보았다. 여과실험 후 물 역세를 하여 회복률과 여과저항을 계산하였다. 또한, 탁도와 UV254 흡광도를 측정하여 GAC의 흡착 효과를 고찰하였 다. 그 결과, 처리수를 재순환하는 경우와 배출하는 경우 모두 탁도 처리율에는 GAC 충진량의 영향이 없었다, 하지만 GAC 의 UV254 흡광도 처리율이 처리수를 순환하는 경우 0.7~3.6%이었는데, 처리수를 배출하는 경우 3.2-5.7%로 증가하였다. 처리 수를 순환하는 경우 GAC의 충진량이 증가함에 따라, 가역적 여과저항(Rr)과 비가역적 여과저항(Rir)은 감소하는 경향을 보였 다. 그러나 총여과저항(Rt)은 거의 일정하였고, 물 역세 회복률(Rb)은 다소 증가하는 경향을 보였다.

In this study, we used activated carbon(AC) as a carbon source, along with zeolite, to prepare spherical carbons using sucrose, starch and phenolic resin(PR) as binder material. The physicochemical characteristics of the three samples(AZ4P, AZ6P and AZ8P) were examined by BET, XRD, SEM, EDX, H2S/NH3 gas adsorption, compressive strength and ignition test techniques. Through comparative analysis of the compressive strength and ignition test results the AZ8P sample was found to have the best hardness and the highest temperature resistance capacity. After activation, the AZ8P sample had the best H2S adsorption capacity, and AZ6P was the most suitable for the adsorption of ammonia.

In this study, cellulose nanoplates (CNPs) were fabricated using cellulose nanocrystals obtained from commercial microcrystalline cellulose (MCC). Their pyrolysis behavior and the characteristics of the product carbonaceous materials were investigated. CNPs showed a relatively high char yield when compared with MCC due to sulfate functional groups introduced during the manufacturing process. In addition, pyrolyzed CNPs (CCNPs) showed more effective chemical activation behavior compared with MCC-induced carbonaceous materials. The activated CCNPs exhibited a microporous carbon structure with a high surface area of 1310.6 m2/g and numerous oxygen heteroatoms. The results of this study show the effects of morphology and the surface properties of cellulose-based nanomaterials on pyrolysis and the activation process.