Activated carbon (AC) is a versatile and extensively employed adsorbent in environmental remediation. It possesses distinct properties that can be enhanced to selectively target specific pollutants through modifications, including chemical impregnation or incorporation into composite materials. In this study, porous calcium alginate beads (PCAB) were synthesized by incorporating AC and natural alginate through ion gelation in a Ca(II) ion-containing solution, with the addition of sodium lauryl sulfate as a surfactant. The prepared PCAB was tested for Cu(II) removal. PCAB exhibited a spherical shape with higher porosity and surface area (160.19 m2. g−1) compared to calcium alginate beads (CAB) (0.04 m2. g−1). The adsorption kinetics followed the pseudo-first-order model for PCAB and the pseudo-second-order model for CAB. The Langmuir isotherm model provided the best fit for adsorption on PCAB, while the Freundlich model was suitable for CAB. Notably, PCAB demonstrated a maximum adsorption capacity of 75.54 mg.g−1, significantly higher than CAB's capacity of 9.16 mg. g−1. Desorption studies demonstrated that 0.1 M CaCl2 exhibited the highest efficiency (90%) in desorbing Cu(II) ions from PCAB, followed by 0.1 M HCl and 0.1 M NaCl. PCAB showed efficient reusability for up to four consecutive adsorption– desorption cycles. The fixed-bed column experiment confirmed the match with the Thomas model to the breakthrough curves with qTH of 120.12 mg.g−1 and 68.03 mg.g−1 at a flow rate of 1 mL.min−1 and 2 mL.min−1, respectively. This study indicated that PCAB could be an effective adsorbent for Cu(II) removal, offering insights for further application and design considerations.

Benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylenes are commonly known as (BTEX) and include volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in ambient air. Exposure to some BTEX has been associated with health risks. This study aimed to reduce BTEX on the environment and human health dramatically. This research targeted decreasing the BTEX in an air environment by producing high surface area activated carbon (KA-AC) under optimized synthesis conditions from Ricinus communis as lignocellulosic waste using ZnCl2 solution, respectively. The influence of several activation parameters was investigated on the surface area, such as impregnation ratio, carbonization time, and carbonization temperature. The KA5-AC prepared under optimized conditions showed BET surface area and total pore volume of 1225 m2/ g, and 0.72 cm3/ g, respectively. The optimized synthesis conditions were as follows: 0.1, 0.5, 1, 2, and 5 M impregnation ratio, 450–950 °C carbonization temperature, and 100 min carbonization time. The characteristics of the optimized KA-AC were analyzed using nitrogen adsorption–desorption isotherm, scanning electron microscopy, and pore structural analysis. The results confirmed that the VOCs adsorption on KA-AC followed a monolayer adsorption isotherm over a homogeneous adsorbent surface. It showed the removal efficiency of benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and m, p-xylene (R2 = from 0.991 to 0.997). Moreover, the KA-AC exhibited good performance without considerable loss of efficacy throughout the experiments. Accordingly, it is concluded that developing low-cost activated carbon to use BTEX vapor adsorption research could be practical and developments to overcome for utilization in air pollution control.

In this study, Fe3O4/ MgO/Activated carbon composite was used to remove arsenic ion (As (III)) from aqueous media. To this end, Frangula Alnus was used to prepare activated carbon (AC) by calcination in the furnace at 700 °C for 4 h and was then used to synthesize the MgO/Fe3O4/AC composite. To study the surface properties of the composite, various analyses such as SEM, EDX/Mapping, FTIR, DLS, BET and VSM were applied. According to the BET analysis, the specific surface area and average pore size of the Fe3O4/ MgO/AC composite were obtained as 190.92 m2/g and 7.57 nm, respectively, which showed that the aforementioned nanocomposite had a mesoporos structure with an excellent specific surface area. Also, VSM analysis indicated that the composite had a superparamagnetic property and could be easily separated from the solution by a magnet. Moreover, the results of the As (III) sorption indicated that the highest uptake efficiency was obtained 96.65% at pH = 7, adsorbent dosage = 0.13 g/L, t = 35 min, T = 45 °C and Co = 6 mg/L. In addition, the pseudo-second-order model could better describe the kinetic behavior of the sorption process. Furthermore, Langmuir model was the best model to describe the equilibroium behavior of the As(III) ion sorption. Besides, according to the the thermodynamic study, enthalpy change and entropy change were obtained 58.11 kJ/mol and 224.49 J/mol.K, respectively, indicating that the sorption process was spontaneous and endothermic. According to the results, the Fe3O4/ MgO/AC composite was a good adsorbent with the extraordinary properties, which can be used on an industrial scale.

Here, Zn ferrite is synthesized along with reduced graphene oxide (rGO) by a facile one-step hydrothermal method. The difference between the synthesized nanocomposites with those in other reported work is that the reaction conditions in this work are 160 oC for 12 h. The synthesized products are characterized by field-emission scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, Raman spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and attenuated total reflection. Further, the adsorption property of rGO–Zn ferrite (rGZF) nanocomposite is studied after confirming its successful synthesis. The adsorption capacity of rGZFs toward rhodamine B (RB) is ˃ 9.3 mg/g, whereas that of bare ZF nanoparticles is 1.8 mg/g in aqueous media. The efficiencies of rGZF and bare ZF to remove RB are 99 % and 20 %, respectively. Employing rGZF, 60 % of RB is decomposed within 5 min. The kinetic study reveals that the adsorption process of removing RB by bare Zn ferrite follows pseudo-firstorder kinetics. However, after zinc ferrite is incorporated with rGO, the kinetics changes to pseudo-second-order. Furthermore, the Langmuir isotherm is accomplished by the adsorption process employing rGZF, indicating that a monolayer adsorption process occurs. The thermodynamic parameters of the process are also calculated.

본 연구에서는 활성탄소를 이용하여 해양환경으로 유출된 침강 HNS를 현장에서 대응하기 위한 기술 개발을 목적으로, 활용 가능한 활성탄소의 조건을 검토하고 예상 소요량을 산출하였다. 입자 크기별 7종의 활성탄소들을 대상으로 침강 속도를 측정하였고, 침강 HNS로 분류된 클로로포름(CHCl3)에 대한 흡착용량을 실험실 규모 실험(lab-scale test)으로 측정하였다. 또한 7종 활성탄소들에 대하여 유해 물질함량과 용출 실험을 실시하여 용출된 유해물질 함량을 정량 분석하였다. 평균 침강속도(Mean particle-settling velocity)는 0.5~8 cm/sec의 범위로 8-20 mesh 경우를 제외하고 입자의 크기가 클수록 침강속도가 빨랐으며, 클로로포름에 대한 흡착효율은 대체로 입자가 작을수록 표면적이 넓어져 증가되었다. 또한 현장 투입 후 2차 오염가능성 확인을 위한 유해물질함량과 용출 실험 실험에서 >100 mesh의 활성탄소는 전함량분석결과가 아연(Zn)과 비소(As)가 수처리제기준보다 높고, 용출실험결과에서도 크롬(Cr), 아연(Zn), 비소(As)가 다른 활성탄소에 비해 높은 농도로 용출되었다. 흡착효율, 침강속도, 유해성분 용출량 등을 종합적으로 고려하여 현장 처리 적용 가능한 활성탄소는 20-60, 20-40, 2mm&down mesh 이었으며, 흡착용량을 최우선으로 판단하여 투입물량을 계산하면 최소 현장 투입 물량은 각각 0.82, 0.90, 1.28 ton/㎘ 이다.

The Odor-causing compounds from grilled meat restaurants are mainly ammonia, aldehydes, and volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Acetaldehyde is known to have the greatest odor contribution. This study examines the application of silica gel for acetaldehyde in gas stream. Heat-pretreated silica gel showed relatively good adsorption performance and at 150oC, its breakthrough capacity reached up to 51 mg/g. By using Thomas' dynamic model, which well estimated the adsorption performance in this study, the effects of inlet concentration and retention time on adsorption capacity were evaluated. The adsorbent saturated with acetaldehyde was regenerated by reducing the pressure, which was controlled by the vacuum pump. The design factors were found to be 10 sec−1 of space velocity, -184 kPa·hr of desorption condition, and 10 to 1 of the ratio of cross sectional area to the height for the fixed-bed. The cyclic operation of adsorption and desorption step in the fixed bed packed with silica gel appeared to have 7.0-8.8 mg/g of acetaldehyde removal capacity and 99% of regeneration.

Carboxylated multi-wall carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs-COOH) was functionalized with 3-amino-5-phenylpyrazole (MWCNTs- f) and characterized by FTIR, EDX, SEM, XRD and TGA. The MWCNTs-COOH and MWCNTs-f were used for the adsorption of Cd(II), Hg(II), and As(III) ions from aqueous solutions. Additionally, to study the influence of pH, adsorbent dose, and initial ions concentration on the adsorption process, the central composite design (CCD) was applied. The quadratic model was used for analysis of variance and indicated that adsorption of metal ions strongly depends on pH. Timedependent adsorption can be described by the pseudo-second-order kinetic model, and adsorption process was modeled by Langmuir isotherm for the adsorbents. Thermodynamic analysis showed that the adsorption of Cd(II), Hg(II) and As(III) ions were spontaneous and endothermic. Moreover, the competitive adsorption capacities of the heavy metal ions were slightly lower than noncompetitive ones. The same affinity order was observed under noncompetitive and competitive adsorption: As(III) > Cd(II) > Hg(II) in the case of MWCNTs-f. Desorption study revealed the favorable regeneration ability of adsorbents powders, even after three adsorption–desorption cycles.

This study examined the influence of operating parameters on the electrosorptive recovery system of lithium ions from aqueous solutions using a spinel-type lithium manganese oxide adsorbent electrode and investigated the electrosorption kinetics and isotherms. The results revealed that the electrosorption data of lithium ions from the lithium containing aqueous solution were well-fitted to the Langmuir isotherm at electrical potentials lower than –0.4 V and to the Freundlich isotherm at electrical potentials higher than –0.4 V. This result may due to the formation of a thicker electrical double layer on the surface of the electrode at higher electrical potentials. The results showed that the electrosorption reached equilibrium within 200 min under an electrical potential of –1.0 V, and the pseudo-second-order kinetic model was correlated with the experimental data. Moreover, the adsorption of lithium ions was dependent on pH and temperature, and the results indicate that higher pH values and lower temperatures are more suitable for the electrosorptive adsorption of lithium ions from aqueous solutions. Thermodynamic results showed that the calculated activation energy of 22.61 kJ mol–1 during the electrosorption of lithium ions onto the adsorbent electrode was primarily controlled by a physical adsorption process. The recovery of adsorbed lithium ions from the adsorbent electrode reached the desorption equilibrium within 200 min under reverse electrical potential of 3.5 V.

To abate the problem of odor from restaurants, a hybrid adsorbent consisting of organic and inorganic materials was developed and evaluated using acetaldehyde as a model compound was deveioped and evaluated. Powders of activated carbon, bentonite, and calcium hydroxide were mixed and calcinated to form adsorbent structure. The surface area of the hybrid adsorbent was smaller than that of high-quality activated carbon, but its microscopic image showed that contours and pores were developed on its surface. To determine its adsorption capacity, both batch isotherm and continuous flow column experiments were performed, and these results were compared with those using commercially available activated carbon. The isotherm tests showed that the hybrid adsorbent had a capacity 40 times higher than that of the activated carbon. In addition, the column experiments revealed that breakthrough time of the hybrid adsorbent was 2.5 times longer than that of the activated carbon. These experimental results were fitted to numerical simulations by using a homogeneous surface diffusion model (HSDM); the model estimated that the hybrid adsorbent might be able to remove acetaldehyde at a concentration of 40 ppm for a 5-month period. Since various odor compounds are commonly emitted as a mixture when meat is barbecued, it is necessary to conduct a series of experiments and HSDM simulations under various conditions to obtain design parameters for a full-scale device using the hybrid adsorbent.

Sulfur copolymer (poly(S-r-CEA)) was synthesized via facile inverse vulcanization of elemental sulfur with 2-carboxyethyl acrylate (CEA). Polysulfide (PS) oligomer was soluble to common solvents including DMF, producing homogenous dope solution with PAN as filler. PS-PAN was electrospun resulting to nanofiber membrane effective for Hg2+ sequestration with recorded maximum capacity of 612 mg g-1 based on Langmuir model isotherm. Kinetics, selectivity and reusability were also evaluated. This work presents new and cheap yet effective material for heavy metal sequestration from contaminated water. This work was supported by Basic Science Research Program through the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF) funded by the Ministry of Science, ICT and Future Planning (2015R1A2A1A15055407) and by the Ministry of Education (No. 2009-0093816).

정수슬러지를 탄화 및 활성처리하여 흡착제를 제조하였으며, 이를 이용한 황화수소 흡착특성을 고찰하였다. 제조 된 흡착제에 대한 BET측정 및 SEM 등 물성분석을 실시하였으며, 황화수소를 대상으로 회분식의 흡착평형실험 을 실시하였다. 실험변수로는 활성처리시 적용되는 약품종류 및 농도 등이 적용되었다. 실험결과, 정수슬러지는 탄화나 약품첨착과정을 통해 커다란 성능 향상이 이뤄짐을 알 수 있었다.

The potential use of UV-TiO2 photocatalytic oxidation absorbent reactor in the removal of gaseous formaldehyde was studied. This study was conducted inside a bench-type circulation reactor chamber at ambient air conditions. PCO (Photocatalytic Oxidaion) degradation test for formaldehyde was done repeatedly and the average was reported. It was evident that photocatalytic oxidation was proven to be an effective method to control indoor air pollutants, like formaldehyde in indoor air. However, by-products are produced in the case of formaldehyde degradation also CO2, CO, H2O and formic acid are produced. These by-products can inhibit the active site of the photocatalyst. Thus, addition of adsorbent succeeding the PCO-TiO2, acts as a secondary treatment wherein produced by-products from the degradation and unreacted HCHO will adhere to the surface of the adsorbent. In this study, synthetic zeolite and activated carbon pellets were used to control of by-products of formaldehyde. PCOTiO2 degradation alone achieves 86% for a period of 60 minutes. Addition of adsorbent improves the removal efficiency achieving 90% and 96% using activated carbon pellet and zeolite, respectively.

In this study, We evaluated the efficiency of the smart ventilation system being developed at the test-bed(KCL). Smart ventilation system improve the indoor air quality by absorbing carbon dioxide. It is reducing the infusion of outside air can be reduced to minimum energy consumption. To evaluate the energy savings and carbon dioxide removal efficiency. It was more effective when working with air conditioning and ventilation system at the same time.

H2S adsorption characteristics of adsorbent made by coffee waste were investigated. For analyses of the manufactured adsorbent, various methods such as scanning electron microscope(SEM), measurements of BET(Brunauer Emmett Teller) surface area, pH, and Iodide adsorption were adopted. As major adsorption characteristics, adsorption equilibrium capacity was measured by using a batch type experimental apparatus for operating variables such as adsorption temperature(25～45℃), adsorbent types. The experimental result showed that the H2S adsorption equilibrium capacity of adsorbent made by coffee waste much more increases with steam activation for the coffee waste.

Wastewater from textile industries is a major cause of water pollution in most developing countries. In order to address the issues of water pollution and high cost for treatment processes, the use of an inexpensive and environmentally benign adsorbents has been studied. The objective was to find a better alternative to the conventional methods. Lemon grass waste (ash) collected from a lemon grass stream distillation subunit in Bhutan was tested for dye removal from aqueous solutions. The study investigated the removal of methylene blue using the following operational parameters: initial concentration (100-600 mg/L), contact time, adsorbent dose (0.1-0.55 gm/100 mL), and pH (3-10). It was found that the percentage removal of dye increased with a decrease of the initial concentration and increased contact time and dose of adsorbent. The basic pH solution of dye showed better adsorption capacity as compared to the acidic dye solution. Langmuir and Freundlich adsorption isotherms were fitted to the data well. Data fitted better to Lagergren pseudo 2nd order kinetics than a 1st order kinetic model. Surface morphology was also examined via scanning electron microscopy. An elemental analysis was also carried out and the chemical composition and functional groups were analyzed using energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy techniques, respectively. The obtained results indicate that lemon grass ash could be employed as a low cost alternative to commercial activated carbon in wastewater treatment for the removal of dyes.

H2S adsorption characteristics of adsorbent made by fallen leaves were investigated. For analyses of the manufactured adsorbent, various methods such as scanning electron microscope(SEM) and measurements of BET surface area were adopted. As major adsorption characteristics, adsorption equilibrium capacity was measured by using a batch type experimental apparatus for operating variables such as adsorption temperature(25~45℃) and adsorbent types. The experimental result showed that the H2S adsorption equilibrium capacity of adsorbent made by fallen leaves decreased with increasing adsorption temperature due to physical adsorption phenomena. It was also found that the H2S adsorption capacity of the adsorbent increased remarkably by an acid treatment with HCl solution.

Rhodiola sachalinensis fermentates by lactic acid bacteria were prepared using the adsorption process, and were investigated for changes of the main compounds and anti-oxidative activities during the adsorption and fermentation process. While the R. sachalinensis extract (RSE), which did not go through the adsorption process, showed little change in pH during fermentation and a significant reduction in the number of lactic acid bacteria, the pre-preparatory adsorption process was found to be helpful for promoting fermentation and for maintenance of bacterial numbers. The contents of total phenolic compounds mostly decreased during the adsorption process, but showed an increasing tendency to rebound during the fermentation process. The contents of salidroside and p-tyrosol in the RSE were 1153.3 ㎎% and 185.0 ㎎% respectively, and they did not significantly change after treatment with acid clay or bentonite as adsorbents, which were 1093.0 and 190.5 ㎎% by acid clay, and 882.2 and 157.3 ㎎% by bentonite. When the extract was fermented after treatment with acid clay or bentonite, the salidroside contents were decreased by 282.7 and 505.0 ㎎% respectively, but the p-tyrosol contents were increased by 714.0 and 522.4 ㎎% respectively. Compared to the DPPH radical scavenging activity of the RSE (66.8%) at the conc. of 0.1%, that of the fermented RSE, which went through adsorption process with acid clay or bentonite, was significantly increased to 79.4 and 72.7% respectively at the same concentration (p<0.05). Though fermentation by lactic acid bacteria was suppressed in the RSE, the results suggested that the adsorption process may promote fermentation without any change in the content of major active compounds. It is expected that fermentation by lactic acid bacteria could improve the antioxidant activity and various associated functionalities of R. sachalinensis.

Most heavy metals are well-known toxic and carcinogenic agents and when discharged into wastewater represent a serious threat to the human population and the fauna and flora of the receiving water bodies. The present study aims to develop a procedure for Pb (II) removal. This procedure is based on using powdered activated carbon, which was prepared from walnut shells that were generated as plant wastes and modified with potassium carbonate and phosphoric acid as chemical agents. The main parameters, such as effect of pH, effect of sorbent dosage, Pb (II) concentrations, and various contact times influence the sorption process. The experimental results were analyzed by using Langmuir, Freundlich, Tempkin, and Dubinin-Radushkevich adsorption models. The kinetic study of Pb (II) on activated carbon from walnut shells was performed based on pseudo- first order and pseudo- second order equations. The data indicate that the adsorption kinetics follow the pseudo- second order rate. The procedure was successfully applied for Pb (II) removal from aqueous solutions.

Most heavy metals are well-known toxic and carcinogenic agents and when discharged into wastewater represent a serious threat to the human population and the fauna and flora of the receiving water bodies. The present study aims to develop a procedure for Pb(II) removal. The study was based on using powdered activated carbon, which was prepared from walnut shells generated as plant wastes and modified with potassium carbonate or phosphoric acid as chemical agents. The main parameters, such as effect of pH, effect of sorbent dosage, Pb(II) concentrations, and various contact times influence the sorption process. The experimental results were analyzed by using Langmuir, Freundlich, Tempkin and Dubinin-Radushkevich adsorption models. The kinetic study of Pb(II) on activated carbon from walnut shells was performed based on pseudo-first order and pseudo-second order equations. The data indicate that the adsorption kinetics follow the pseudo-second order rate. The procedure was successfully applied for Pb(II) removal from aqueous solutions.