In this paper, the adsorption removal characteristic for 10 species of perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) was investigated using GAC and modified GAC (GAC-Cu). After modification with Cu(II), the amount of copper was to 1.93 and 4.73 mg/g for GAC and GAC-Cu, respectively. The total amount of 10 species of PFAS per specific area was obtained to 0.548 and 0.612 ng/m2 for GAC and GAC-Cu, respectively. A series of batch test confirmed lower efficiency was observed with a smaller number of carbon chain length and the removal efficiency of PFCA (perfluoroalkyl carboxylic acids) was lower than that of PFSA (perfluoroalkyl sulfonic acids) with the same carbon chain length. Regarding the pH effect, the adsorption capacity was decreased with increase of pH due to the increase of electrostatic repulsion. According to pseudo first and second order (PFO and PSO) kinetic models, while the values of equilibrium uptake and time did not show significant difference, a difference in uptake was observed between 24-48h. Furthermore, based on correlation analysis, Log Kow and uptake have a high correlation with molecular weight (M.W.) and initial concentration, respectively. These results show that long-chain PFAS have higher removal efficiency due to their increased hydrophobicity.

Perfluorooctanoic acid(PFOA) was one of widely used per- and poly substances(PFAS) in the industrial field and its concentration in the surface and groundwater was found with relatively high concentration compared to other PFAS. Since various processes have been introduced to remove the PFOA, adsorption using GAC is well known as a useful and effective process in water and wastewater treatment. Surface modification for GAC was carried out using Cu and Fe to enhance the adsorption capacity and four different adsorbents, such as GAC-Cu, GAC-Fe, GAC-Cu(OH)2, GAC-Fe(OH)3 were prepared and compared with GAC. According to SEM-EDS, the increase of Cu or Fe was confirmed after surface modification and higher weight was observed for Cu and Fe hydroxide(GAC-Cu(OH)2 and GAC-Fe(OH)3, respectively). BET analysis showed that the surface modification reduced specific surface area and total pore volumes. The highest removal efficiency(71.4%) was obtained in GAC-Cu which is improved by 17.9% whereas the use of Fe showed lower removal efficiency compared to GAC. PFOA removal was decreased with increase of solution pH indicating electrostatic interaction governs at low pH and its effect was decreased when the point of zero charges(pzc) was negatively increased with an increase of pH. The enhanced removal of PFOA was clearly observed in solution pH 7, confirming the Cu in the surface of GAC plays a role on the PFOA adsorption. The maximum uptake was calculated as 257 and 345 μg/g for GAC and GAC-Cu using Langmuir isotherm. 40% and 80% of removal were accomplished within 1 h and 48 h. According to R2, only the linear pseudo-second-order(pso) kinetic model showed 0.98 whereas the others obtained less than 0.870.

The operation of nuclear power plants, nuclear waste depositories, and the decontamination and decommissioning of nuclear power plants all have the possibility of generating various kinds of radionuclides that can be formed as gaseous or liquid phases. Among the radionuclides, strontium is considered as most harmful substance due to its abundance in nuclear accident effluent, long half-life, high fission yield, high water solubility, and high mobility in aquatic environment. To remove strontium from aquatic environment, adsorption technique is mainly used with high economic feasibility, efficiency, and selectivity. Previously, we synthesized sodium titanates with mid-temperature hydrothermal method as selective strontium adsorbent in aqueous solution. Moreover, it was demonstrated that synthesized sodium titanates show high strontium adsorption rate with high selectivity with high surface area, pore diameter and volume. Herein, we investigated the surface structure of synthesized sodium titanates before and after strontium adsorption in aqueous solution using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) analysis. According to SEM and EDS experimental results, aquatic strontium can be adsorbed as surface precipitation with formation of cube-shaped structure, which is quite similar strontium titanate structure crystals onto the surface of sodium titanates. In addition, XPS experimental results revealed that the titanium ions on the surface of sodium titanates were oxidized during strontium surface precipitation process, and the sodium ion on the surface of sodium titanates were exchanged with aquatic strontium ions via ion exchange process during strontium adsorption process.

Removing CO2 gas to address the global climate crisis is one of the most urgent agendas. To improve the CO2 adsorption ability of activated carbon, nitrogen plasma surface treatment was conducted. The effect of nitrogen plasma treatment on the surface chemistry and pore geometry of activated carbon was extensively analyzed. The porosity and surface groups of the activated carbon varied with the plasma treatment time. By plasma treatment for a few minutes, the microporosity and surface functionality could be simultaneously controlled. The changed microporosity and nitrogen groups affected the CO2 adsorption capacity and CO2 adsorption selectivity over N2. This simultaneous surface etching and functionalization effect could be achieved with a short operating time and low energy consumption.

The present work reports the effect of different functionalization methodologies on surface modification of porous carbon and its efficacy for benzene adsorption. The virgin and surface-modified adsorbents were characterized by FTIR, N2 sorption analysis, SEM, and Boehm titration. The adsorption isotherms were measured at different temperatures using a highly sensitive magnetic suspension microbalance. At lower benzene concentration, the virgin carbon was found to possess reasonable adsorption capacity, while at higher benzene concentration, the surface-modified carbon tends to perform better. The maximum benzene adsorption capacity at 25 °C and vapor pressure of 90 mbar is as follows: 467 mg/g (NORIT-AC), 227 mg/g (AC-APS (1 M)), 388 mg/g (Norit-AC-HT), 492 mg/g (AC-HNO3), and 531 mg/g (AC-H2SO4).

Numerous chemical modifications on activated carbon such as acidic conditioning, thermal treatment and metal impregnation have been investigated to enhance adsorption capacities of micropollutants in water treatment plants. In this study, chemical modification including acidic, alkaline treatment, and iron-impregnation was evaluated for adsorption of 2,4-dichlorophenol (2,4-DCP). For Fe-impregnation, three concentrations of ferric chloride solutions, i.e., 0.2 M, 0.4 M, and 0.8 M, were used and ion-exchange (MIX) of iron and subsequent thermal treatment (MTH) were also applied. Surface properties of the modified carbons were analyzed by active surface area, pore volume, three-dimensional images, and chemical characteristics. The acidic and alkaline treatment changed the pore structures but yielded little improvement of adsorption capacities. As Fe concentrations were increased during impregnation, the active adsorption areas were decreased and the compositional ratios of Fe were increased. Adsorption capacities of modified ACs were evaluated using Langmuir isotherm. The MIX modification was not efficient to enhance 2,4-DCP adsorption and the MES treatment showed increases in adsorption capacities of 2,4-DCP, compared to the original activated carbon. These results implied a possibility of chemical impregnation modification for improvement of adsorption of 2,4-DCP, if a proper modification procedure is sought.

목적 : 여러 분자량의 polyethylene glycols(PEGs)을 화학적 공유결합으로 하이드로겔 콘택트렌즈 표면에 고정 시켰다. PEG의 도입이 렌즈의 표면 습윤성, 단백질 흡착성, 광투과율 등에 미치는 영향을 PEG의 길이 혹은 PEG 의 적용여부 등에 초점을 맞추어 분석하는데 실험 목적이 있다. 방법 : PEG에 Jones oxidation 반응을 통해 알코올기를 카르복실 작용기로 변형시켰고, 하이드로겔 콘택트렌즈 표면에 화학적으로 결합시켰다. 역상 고성능 크로마토그래피와 단백질 표준검량선을 이용하여 제조된 렌즈들에 흡착된 단백질을 정량하였다. 결과 : PEG가 개질된 하이드로젤 콘택트렌즈는 우수한 광투과율과 표면 습윤성을 보였고 이는 상업적으로 이용가능한 수치이다. 단백질 흡착 실험 결과를 살펴보면, 보단 긴 PEG 사슬이 적용된 하이드로겔 콘택트렌즈는 표면 친수성이 더 우수하기 때문에 단백질 흡착량이 더욱 감소하였다. 결론 : 본 연구에서는 PEG가 표면-개질된 하이드로겔 콘택트렌즈를 제조하고 이들의 물성을 조사하였다. PEG 각 적용된 렌즈는 90% 이상의 광투과율과 개선된 표면 습윤성을 보여주었다. 특히, 보다 긴 PEG2000이 적용된 렌즈에는 PEG가 적용되지 않은 대조군이나 짧은 PEG164가 적용된 렌즈 보다 단백질의 흡착이 크게 감소되었다. PEG가 표면에 적용된 하이드로겔의 제조는 안의료용 바이오소재 뿐만 아니라 단백질-비흡착 기기의 개발에 큰 역할을 할 것으로 기대된다.

Microtextural and surface chemical heterogeneities of activated carbons (AC) have been studied to see their distinctive role for the adsorption of CO2, CO and N2 at 25 °C and up to 850 Torr. Not only the microtextural properties influence the adsorption of the gases, particularly CO2, but the chemical surface heterogeneity also plays a significant role for CO2 adsorption. The volume of ultramicropores < 7 Å is of predominantly importance in high CO2 adsorption at pressures above 30 Torr. However, the average size of micropores and their size distribution, and the chemical surface heterogeneity are much more critical at the Henry’s law region (< 30 Torr). The latter could be well characterized by the amount and Henry constant of CO2 adsorption at the low pressures, the Toth model parameters, the change in CO2/ CO and CO2/ N2 selectivities with respect to pressure, the amount of CO from the thermal decomposition, and the direct probing of very strong basicity sites using a technique that is the temperature-programmed desorption of CO2 adsorbed. All of them are consistent with the difference in the energetic nonuniformity between ACs studied, except for the last measure whose results could be reasonably explained when combining with the microtextural heterogeneity.

This study used a packed column reactor and a horizontal flow mesh reactor to examine the removal of copper ions from aqueous solutions using pine bark, a natural adsorbent prepared from Korean red pine (Pinus densiflora). Both equilibrium and nonequilibrium adsorption experiments were conducted on copper ion concentrations of 10mg/L, and the removals of copper ions at equilibrium were close to 95%. Adsorption of copper ions could be well described by both the Langmuir and Freundlich adsorption isotherms. The bark was treated with nitric acid to enhance efficiency of copper removal, and sorption capacity was improved by about 48% at equilibrium; mechanisms such as ion exchange and chelation may have been involved in the sorption process. A pseudo second-order kinetic model described the kinetic behavior of the copper ion adsorption onto the bark. Regeneration with nitric acid resulted in extended use of spent bark in the packed column. The horizontal flow mesh reactor allowed approximately 80% removal efficiency, demonstrating its operational flexibility and the potential for its practical use as a bark filter reactor.

In preparation of silica aerogel-based hybrid coating materials, the combination of hydrophobic aerogel with organic polar binder material is shown to be very limited due to dissimilar surface property between two materials. Accordingly, the surface modification of the aerogel would be required to obtain compatibilized hybrid coating sols with homogeneous dispersion. In this study, the surface of silica aerogel particles was modified by using both surfactant adsorption and heat treatment methods. Four types of surfactants with different molecular weights and HLB values were used to examine the effect of chain length and hydrophilicity. The surface property of the modified aerogel was evaluated in terms of visible observation for aerogel dispersion in water, water contact angle measurement, and FT-IR analysis. In surface modification using surfactants, the effects of surfactant type and content, and mixing time as process parameter on the degree of hydrophilicity for the modified aerogel. In addition, the temperature condition in modification process via heat treatment was revealed to be significant factor to prepare aerogel with highly hydrophilic property.

The surface roughness of Al, Ag and Ni nano-powders which were prepared by pulsed wire evaporation method was quantified based upon the fractal theory. The surface fractal dimensions of metal nano-powders were determined from the linear relationship between In and Inln () using multi-layer gas adsorption theory. Moreover, the fractal surface image was realized by computer simulation. The relationship between preparation condition and surface characteristics of metal nano-powders was discussed in detail.

The influence of carbon surface area, carbon-oxygen groups associated with the carbon surface and the solution pH on the adsorption of Pb(II) ions from aqueous solutions has been studied using three activated carbons. The adsorption isotherms are Type I of BET classification and the data obeys Langmuir adsorption equation. The BET surface area has little effect on the adsorption while it is strongly influenced by the presence of acidic carbon oxygen surface groups. The amount of these surface groups was enhanced by oxidation of the carbons with different oxidizing agents and reduced by eliminating these groups on degassing at different temperatures. The adsorption of Pb(II) ions increases on each oxidation and decreases on degassing the oxidized carbons. The increase in adsorption on oxidation has been attributed to the formation of acidic carbon-oxygen surface groups and the decrease to the elimination of these acidic surface groups on degassing. The adsorption is also influenced by the pH of the aqueous solution. The adsorption is only small at pH values lower than 3 but is considerably larger at higher pH values. Suitable mechanisms consistent with the adsorption data have been suggested.

The equilibrium and dynamic adsorption of methylene blue from aqueous solutions by activated carbons have been studied. The equilibrium studies have been carried out on two samples of activated carbon fibres and two samples of granulated activated carbons. These activated carbons have different BET surface areas and are associated with varying amounts of carbon oxygen surface groups. The amounts of these surface groups was enhanced by oxidation with HNO3 and O2 gas at 350℃ and decreased by degassing at increasing temperatures of 400˚, 650˚ and 950℃. The adsorption increases on oxidation of the carbon surface and decreases on degassing. The increase in adsorption has been attributed to the formation of acidic carbon-oxygen surface groups and the decrease in adsorption on degassing to their elimination. The dynamic adsorption studies have been carried out on the two granulated activated carbons using two 50 mm diameter glass columns at a feed concentration of 300 mg/L and at different hydraulic loading rates (HLR) and bed heights. The minimum achievable concentrations are comparatively lower while the adsorption capacities are higher for GAC-S under the same operating conditions. The adsorption capacity of a carbon increases with increase in HLR but the rate of increase decreases at higher HLR values.

The studies on activated carbon prepared from walnut shell and groundnut shell were undertaken to ascertain the effect of initial state of precursor and activation process on the development of porosity in the resulting activated carbon. Walnut shell based carbon shows the presence of cellular pores while Groundnut shell based carbon shows fibrillar pore structure. The adsorption parameters, characterization of product and scanning electron microscopic studies carried out showed the presence of mainly Micro, Meso and Macro porosity in carbon prepared from Walnut shell while mainly micro porosity was observed in Groundnut shell based activated carbon. An interrelationship between the adsorption efficiency and porosity in terms of quality control parameters, for before and after activation, was validated through the scanning electron microscopic data.

Adsorption isotherms of p-nitrophenol from its aqueous solutions on two samples of activated carbon fibres and two samples of granulated activated carbons have been determined in the concentration range 40~800 mg/L (ppm). The surface of these carbons was modified by oxidation with nitric acid and oxygen gas, and by degassing the carbon surface under vacuum at temperatures of 400℃, 650℃ and 950℃. The oxidation of carbon enhances the amount of carbon-oxygen surface groups, while degassing decreases the amount of these surface groups. The adsorption of p-nitrophenol does not depend upon the surface area alone but appears to be influenced by the presence of oxygen groups on the carbon surface. The adsorption decreases on oxidation while the degassing of the carbon surface enhances the adsorption. The decrease in adsorption depends upon the strength of the oxidative treatment being much larger in case of the oxidation with nitric acid, while the decrease in adsorption on degassing depends upon the temperature of degassing. The results show that while the presence of acidic surface groups which are evolved as CO2 on degassing suppress the adsorption of p-nitrophenol, the presence of non acidic surface groups which are evolved as CO on degassing tend to enhance the adsorption. Suitable mechanisms compatible with the results have been presented.

폐기물 용액의 pH 변화에 따른 고정층에서 우라늄 및 코발트 이온의 흡착거동을 다성분 흡착시스템으로 가정하여 이론적으로 예측하였다. 즉 pH 변화에 따라 존재 분율이 달라지는 각 이온 성분들이 상호 경쟁적으로 흡착한다는 가정 하에서, 평형실험에서 얻어진 결과와 우라늄 및 코발트 이온의 용액특성 (Solution chemistry)을 상호 결합하여 각 이온 성분들의 Langmuir 평형상수 값을 Ideal Adsorbed Solution Theory를 도입하여 구하였으며, 이상의 결과를 이용하여 고정층 파과곡선을 이론적으로 계산한 결과 pH 변화에 따른 흡착거동을 비교적 잘 예측할 수 있었다 따라서 본 연구에서 시도한 방법은 이온 농도와 pH가 높은 경우를 제외하고 pH 변화에 따라 용액 내에 이온의 형태가 다양하게 존재하는 흡착 시스템을 이론적으로 예측하는 데 비교적 유용하게 사용할 수 있을 것으로 판단된다.