Chemically activated carbon nanofibers for adsorptive removal of bisphenol-A: Batch adsorption and breakthrough curve study

doi:10.1016/j.cjche.2023.03.017

Chinese Journal of Chemical Engineering ›› 2023, Vol. 61 ›› Issue (9): 248-259.DOI: 10.1016/j.cjche.2023.03.017

Previous Articles Next Articles

Chemically activated carbon nanofibers for adsorptive removal of bisphenol-A: Batch adsorption and breakthrough curve study

Wenming Hao^1,2, Basma I. Waisi^2,3, Timothy M. Vadas⁴, Jeffrey R. McCutcheon²

1. College of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Taiyuan University of Technology, Taiyuan 030024, China;
2. Department of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT 06269, United States;
3. Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Baghdad, Baghdad 10071, Iraq;
4. Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT 06269, United States

Received:2022-07-18 Revised:2023-03-13 Online:2023-12-14 Published:2023-09-28
Contact: Wenming Hao,E-mail:haowenming@tyut.edu.cn
Supported by:
Dr. Jian Ren is thanked for the help with the mechanical strength measurements. This work was financially supported by the National Science Foundation (1438518).

Chemically activated carbon nanofibers for adsorptive removal of bisphenol-A: Batch adsorption and breakthrough curve study

Wenming Hao^1,2, Basma I. Waisi^2,3, Timothy M. Vadas⁴, Jeffrey R. McCutcheon²

1. College of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Taiyuan University of Technology, Taiyuan 030024, China;
2. Department of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT 06269, United States;
3. Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Baghdad, Baghdad 10071, Iraq;
4. Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT 06269, United States

通讯作者: Wenming Hao,E-mail:haowenming@tyut.edu.cn
基金资助:
Dr. Jian Ren is thanked for the help with the mechanical strength measurements. This work was financially supported by the National Science Foundation (1438518).

Abstract

Abstract: Activated carbon nanofibers (ACNFs) with small diameter can significantly increase the accessibility of intra pores and accelerate adsorption of molecules from water. In this study, ACNFs were made by blending K₂CO₃ or ZnCl₂ as the activating agent into the polyacrylonitrile (PAN) in dimethylformamide solution for electrospinning prior to pyrolysis. Bisphenol-A (BPA), an endocrine disruption pollutant, is widely applied in the production of polycarbonate plastics and epoxy resins. Accordingly, BPA is often used as a model contaminant commonly removed via adsorption. Batch adsorption studies were used to evaluate the kinetics and adsorption capacity of the ACNFs. Redlich–Peterson (R–P) and Langmuir models were found to fit the isotherm of BPA adsorption better than Freundlich model, showing the homogeneous nature of the PAN originated ACNFs. The adsorption kinetics was better described by the pseudo second-order model than that by the pseudo first-order model. The fitting by intraparticle diffusion model indicates the adsorption of BPA onto ACNFs is mainly controlled by pore diffusion. High pH value and ionic strength reduced BPA adsorption from aqueous solution. The breakthrough curves studied in two different fixed bed systems (cross flow bed system and packed flow bed system) confirmed the scalability of BPA removal by ACNFs in dynamic adsorption processes. The modified dose–response model predicted well the fixed-bed outlet concentration profiles.

Key words: Activated carbon nanofibers (ACNFs), Chemical activation, Bisphenol-A (BPA), Fixed bed, Adsorption

摘要： Activated carbon nanofibers (ACNFs) with small diameter can significantly increase the accessibility of intra pores and accelerate adsorption of molecules from water. In this study, ACNFs were made by blending K₂CO₃ or ZnCl₂ as the activating agent into the polyacrylonitrile (PAN) in dimethylformamide solution for electrospinning prior to pyrolysis. Bisphenol-A (BPA), an endocrine disruption pollutant, is widely applied in the production of polycarbonate plastics and epoxy resins. Accordingly, BPA is often used as a model contaminant commonly removed via adsorption. Batch adsorption studies were used to evaluate the kinetics and adsorption capacity of the ACNFs. Redlich–Peterson (R–P) and Langmuir models were found to fit the isotherm of BPA adsorption better than Freundlich model, showing the homogeneous nature of the PAN originated ACNFs. The adsorption kinetics was better described by the pseudo second-order model than that by the pseudo first-order model. The fitting by intraparticle diffusion model indicates the adsorption of BPA onto ACNFs is mainly controlled by pore diffusion. High pH value and ionic strength reduced BPA adsorption from aqueous solution. The breakthrough curves studied in two different fixed bed systems (cross flow bed system and packed flow bed system) confirmed the scalability of BPA removal by ACNFs in dynamic adsorption processes. The modified dose–response model predicted well the fixed-bed outlet concentration profiles.

关键词: Activated carbon nanofibers (ACNFs), Chemical activation, Bisphenol-A (BPA), Fixed bed, Adsorption

Wenming Hao, Basma I. Waisi, Timothy M. Vadas, Jeffrey R. McCutcheon. Chemically activated carbon nanofibers for adsorptive removal of bisphenol-A: Batch adsorption and breakthrough curve study[J]. Chinese Journal of Chemical Engineering, 2023, 61(9): 248-259.

References

[1] S.J. Peng, L.L. Li, J.K.Y. Lee, L.L. Tian, M. Srinivasan, S. Adams, S.R amakrishna, Electrospun carbon nanofibers and their hybrid composites as advanced materials for energy conversion and storage, Nano Energy 22 (2016) 361–395.
[2] C. Merino, P. Soto, E. Vilaplana-Ortego, J.M. Gomez de Salazar, F. Pico, J.M. Rojo, Carbon nanofibres and activated carbon nanofibres as electrodes in supercapacitors, Carbon 43 (3) (2005) 551–557.
[3] M.J. Zhi, S.H. Liu, Z.L. Hong, N.Q. Wu, Electrospun activated carbon nanofibers for supercapacitor electrodes, RSC Adv. 4 (82) (2014) 43619–43623.
[4] X. Li, Y. Chen, H. Huang, Y. Mai, L. Zhou, Electrospun carbon-based nanostructured electrodes for advanced energy storage—A review, Energy Storage Mater. 5 (2016) 58–92.
[5] S.S. Manickam, U. Karra, L.W. Huang, N.N. Bui, B.K. Li, J.R. McCutcheon, Activated carbon nanofiber anodes for microbial fuel cells, Carbon 53 (2013) 19–28.
[6] U. Karra, S.S. Manickam, J.R. McCutcheon, N. Patel, B.K. Li, Power generation and organics removal from wastewater using activated carbon nanofiber (ACNF) microbial fuel cells (MFCs), Int. J. Hydrog. Energy 38 (3) (2013) 1588–1597.
[7] K.J. Lee, N. Shiratori, G.H. Lee, J. Miyawaki, I. Mochida, S.H. Yoon, J. Jang, Activated carbon nanofiber produced from electrospun polyacrylonitrile nanofiber as a highly efficient formaldehyde adsorbent, Carbon 48 (15) (2010) 4248–4255.
[8] J.Y. Liu, S.P. Wang, J.M. Yang, J.J. Liao, M. Lu, H.J. Pan, L. An, ZnCl₂ activated electrospun carbon nanofiber for capacitive desalination, Desalination 344 (2014) 446–453.
[9] G. Wang, C. Pan, L.P. Wang, Q. Dong, C. Yu, Z.B. Zhao, J.S. Qiu, Activated carbon nanofiber webs made by electrospinning for capacitive deionization, Electrochim. Acta 69 (2012) 65–70.
[10] J.V. Patil, S.S. Mali, A.S. Kamble, C.K. Hong, J.H. Kim, P.S. Patil, Electrospinning: A versatile technique for making of 1D growth of nanostructured nanofibers and its applications: An experimental approach, Appl. Surf. Sci. 423 (2017) 641–674.
[11] J.S. Im, S.J. Park, T.J. Kim, Y.H. Kim, Y.S. Lee, The study of controlling pore size on electrospun carbon nanofibers for hydrogen adsorption, J. Colloid Interface Sci. 318 (1) (2008) 42–49.
[12] N. Yusof, A.F. Ismail, Post spinning and pyrolysis processes of polyacrylonitrile (PAN)-based carbon fiber and activated carbon fiber: A review, J. Anal. Appl. Pyrolysis 93 (2012) 1–13.
[13] S.K. Nataraj, K.S. Yang, T.M.Aminabhavi, Polyacrylonitrile-based nanofibers—A state-of-the-art review, Prog. Polym. Sci. 37 (3) (2012) 487–513.
[14] Y. Bai, Z.H. Huang, M.X. Wang, F.Y. Kang, Adsorption of benzene and ethanol on activated carbon nanofibers prepared by electrospinning, Adsorption 19 (5) (2013) 1035–1043.
[15] H.M. Lee, H.G. Kim, S.J. Kang, S.J. Park, K.H. An, B.J. Kim, Effects of pore structures on electrochemical behaviors of polyacrylonitrile (PAN)-based activated carbon nanofibers, J. Ind. Eng. Chem. 21 (2015) 736–740.
[16] V. Jiménez, P. Sánchez, J.L. Valverde, A. Romero, Influence of the activating agent and the inert gas (type and flow) used in an activation process for the porosity development of carbon nanofibers, J. Colloid Interface Sci. 336 (2) (2009) 712–722.
[17] Z. Gong, S. Li, J. Ma, X. Zhang, Synthesis of recyclable powdered activated carbon with temperature responsive polymer for bisphenol A removal, Sep. Purif. Technol. 157 (2016) 131–140.
[18] M.I. Bautista-Toledo, J. Rivera-Utrilla, R. Ocampo-Pérez, F. Carrasco-Marín, M. Sánchez-Polo, Cooperative adsorption of bisphenol-A and chromium(III) ions from water on activated carbons prepared from olive-mill waste, Carbon 73 (2014) 338–350.
[19] G. Liu, J. Ma, X. Li, Q. Qin, Adsorption of bisphenol A from aqueous solution onto activated carbons with different modification treatments, J. Hazard. Mater. 164 (2–3) (2009) 1275–1280.
[20] W.T. Tsai, H.C. Hsu, T.Y. Su, K.Y. Lin, C.M. Lin, Adsorption characteristics of bisphenol-A in aqueous solutions onto hydrophobic zeolite, J. Colloid Interface Sci. 299 (2) (2006) 513–519.
[21] W.T. Tsai, C.W. Lai, T.Y. Su, Adsorption of bisphenol-A from aqueous solution onto minerals and carbon adsorbents, J. Hazard. Mater. 134 (1–3) (2006) 169–175.
[22] M.H. Dehghani, M. Ghadermazi, A. Bhatnagar, P. Sadighara, G. Jahed-Khaniki, B. Heibati, G.McKay, Adsorptive removal of endocrine disrupting bisphenol A from aqueous solution using chitosan, J. Environ. Chem. Eng. 4 (3) (2016) 2647–2655.
[23] M.H. Dehghani, A.H. Mahvi, N. Rastkari, R. Saeedi, S. Nazmara, E. Iravani, Adsorption of bisphenol A (BPA) from aqueous solutions by carbon nanotubes: Kinetic and equilibrium studies, Desalin. Water Treat. 54 (1) (2015) 84–92.
[24] J. Kwon, B. Lee, Bisphenol A adsorption using reduced graphene oxide prepared by physical and chemical reduction methods, Chem. Eng. Res. Des. 104 (2015) 519–529.
[25] P. Ndagijimana, X.J. Liu, Z.W. Li, G.W. Yu, Y. Wang, The synthesis strategy to enhance the performance and cyclic utilization of granulated activated carbon-based sorbent for bisphenol A and triclosan removal, Environ. Sci. Pollut. Res. 27 (13) (2020) 15758–15771.
[26] P. Ndagijimana, X. Liu, Q. Xu, Z. Li, B. Pan, Y. Wang, Simultaneous removal of ibuprofen and bisphenol A from aqueous solution by an enhanced cross-linked activated carbon and reduced graphene oxide composite, Sep. Purif. Technol. 299 (2022) 121681.
[27] W. Cheng, W. Gao, X. Cui, J. Ma, R. Li, Phenol adsorption equilibrium and kinetics on zeolite X/activated carbon composite, J. Taiwan Inst. Chem. Eng. 62 (2016) 192–198.
[28] K. Ortiz-Martínez, P. Reddy, W.A. Cabrera-Lafaurie, F.R. Román, A.J. Hernández-Maldonado, Single and multi-component adsorptive removal of bisphenol A and 2,4-dichlorophenol from aqueous solutions with transition metal modified inorganic–organic pillared clay composites: Effect of pH and presence of humic acid, J. Hazard. Mater. 312 (2016) 262–271.
[29] Z. Xu, J.G. Cai, B.C. Pan, Mathematically modeling fixed-bed adsorption in aqueous systems, J. Zhejiang Univ. Sci. A 14 (3) (2013) 155–176.
[30] C.H. Kim, C.M. Yang, Y.A. Kim, K.S. Yang, Pore engineering of nanoporous carbon nanofibers toward enhanced supercapacitor performance, Appl. Surf. Sci. 497 (2019) 143693.
[31] B.I. Waisi, S.S. Manickam, N.E. Benes, A. Nijmeijer, J.R. McCutcheon, Activated carbon nanofiber nonwovens: Improving strength and surface area by tuning fabrication procedure, Ind. Eng. Chem. Res. 58 (10) (2019) 4084–4089.
[32] G.F. Hu, X.H. Zhang, X.Y. Liu, J.Y. Yu, B. Ding, Strategies in precursors and post treatments to strengthen carbon nanofibers, Adv. Fiber Mater. 2 (2) (2020) 46–63.
[33] P.K. Tripathi, M.X. Liu, Y.H. Zhao, X.M. Ma, L.H. Gan, O. Noonan, C.Z. Yu, Enlargement of uniform micropores in hierarchically ordered micro–mesoporous carbon for high level decontamination of bisphenol A, J. Mater. Chem. A 2 (22) (2014) 8534–8544.
[34] P.K. Tripathi, M.X. Liu, L.H. Gan, J.S. Qian, Z.J. Xu, D.Z. Zhu, N.N. Rao, High surface area ordered mesoporous carbon for high-level removal of Rhodamine B, J. Mater. Sci. 48 (22) (2013) 8003–8013.
[35] V. López-Ramón, C. Moreno-Castilla, J. Rivera-Utrilla, L.R. Radovic, Ionic strength effects in aqueous phase adsorption of metal ions on activated carbons, Carbon 41 (10) (2003) 2020–2022.
[36] M. Vera, D.M. Juela, C. Cruzat, E. Vanegas, Modeling and computational fluid dynamic simulation of acetaminophen adsorption using sugarcane bagasse, J. Environ. Chem. Eng. 9 (2) (2021) 105056.
[37] J.Y. Song, W.H. Zou, Y.Y. Bian, F.Y. Su, R.P. Han, Adsorption characteristics of methylene blue by peanut husk in batch and column modes, Desalination 265 (1–3) (2011) 119–125.

Chemically activated carbon nanofibers for adsorptive removal of bisphenol-A: Batch adsorption and breakthrough curve study

Chemically activated carbon nanofibers for adsorptive removal of bisphenol-A: Batch adsorption and breakthrough curve study

PDF (PC)

Knowledge

Abstract

Cite this article

share this article

References

Related Articles 15

Recommended Articles

Metrics

Comments

[1]	Mohamed Mobarak, Saleh Qaysi, Mohamed Saad Ahmed, Yasser F. Salama, Ahmed Mohamed Abbass, Mohamed Abd Elrahman, Hamdy A. Abdel-Gawwad, Moaaz K. Seliem. Insights into the adsorption performance and mechanism of Cr(VI) onto porous nanocomposite prepared from gossans and modified coal interface: Steric, energetic, and thermodynamic parameters interpretations [J]. Chinese Journal of Chemical Engineering, 2023, 61(9): 118-128.
[2]	Liu He, Yiyang Qiu, Chu Yao, Guojun Lan, Na Li, Huacong Zhou, Quansheng Liu, Xiucheng Sun, Zaizhe Cheng, Ying Li. Role of intrinsic defects on carbon adsorbent for enhanced removal of Hg²⁺ in aqueous solution [J]. Chinese Journal of Chemical Engineering, 2023, 61(9): 129-139.
[3]	Yang Yang, Dandan Liu, Xing Liang, Xiaobing Li. Influence of mineral species on oil–soil interfacial interaction in petroleum-contaminated soils [J]. Chinese Journal of Chemical Engineering, 2023, 61(9): 147-156.
[4]	Dongdong Hu, Yinglei Wang, Chuan Xiao, Yifei Hu, Zhiyong Zhou, Zhongqi Ren. Studies on ammonium dinitramide and 3,4-diaminofurazan cocrystal for tuning the hygroscopicity [J]. Chinese Journal of Chemical Engineering, 2023, 61(9): 157-164.
[5]	Chun Bai, Huifang Zhang, Qinglong Luo, Xiushen Ye, Haining Liu, Quan Li, Jun Li, Zhijian Wu. Boron separation by adsorption and flotation with Mg–Al-LDHs and SDBS from aqueous solution [J]. Chinese Journal of Chemical Engineering, 2023, 61(9): 192-200.
[6]	Reza Sacourbaravi, Zeinab Ansari-Asl, Esmaeil Darabpour. Magnetic polyacrylonitrile/ZIF-8/Fe₃O₄ nanocomposite bead as an efficient iodine adsorbent and antibacterial agent [J]. Chinese Journal of Chemical Engineering, 2023, 61(9): 210-220.
[7]	Ali Nikkhah, Hasan Nikkhah, Hadis langari, Alireza Nouri, Abdul Wahab Mohammad, Ang Wei Lun, Ng law Yong, Rosiah Rohani, Ebrahim Mahmoudi. MXene: From synthesis to environment remediation [J]. Chinese Journal of Chemical Engineering, 2023, 61(9): 260-280.
[8]	Yingli Li, Zhishuncheng Li, Guangfei Qu, Rui Li, Shuaiyu Liang, Junhong Zhou, Wei Ji, Huiming Tang. Mechanism, behaviour and application of iron nitrate modified carbon nanotube composites for the adsorption of arsenic in aqueous solutions [J]. Chinese Journal of Chemical Engineering, 2023, 60(8): 26-36.
[9]	Jing Huang, Honghui Cai, Qian Zhao, Yunpeng Zhou, Haibo Liu, Jing Wang. Dual-functional pyrene implemented mesoporous silicon material used for the detection and adsorption of metal ions [J]. Chinese Journal of Chemical Engineering, 2023, 60(8): 108-117.
[10]	Lingli Chen, Yueting Shi, Sijun Xu, Junle Xiong, Fang Gao, Shengtao Zhang, Hongru Li. Enhanced adsorption of target branched compounds including antibiotic norfloxacin frameworks on mild steel surface for efficient protection: An experimental and molecular modelling study [J]. Chinese Journal of Chemical Engineering, 2023, 60(8): 212-227.
[11]	Alexander Nti Kani, Evans Dovi, Aaron Albert Aryee, Runping Han, Zhaohui Li, Lingbo Qu. Mechanisms and reusability potentials of zirconium-polyaziridine-engineered tiger nut residue towards anionic pollutants [J]. Chinese Journal of Chemical Engineering, 2023, 60(8): 275-292.
[12]	Yuan Liu, Hanting Xiong, Jingwen Chen, Shixia Chen, Zhenyu Zhou, Zheling Zeng, Shuguang Deng, Jun Wang. One-step ethylene separation from ternary C₂ hydrocarbon mixture with a robust zirconium metal-organic framework [J]. Chinese Journal of Chemical Engineering, 2023, 59(7): 9-15.
[13]	Hui Jiang, Zijian Zhao, Ning Yu, Yi Qin, Zhengwei Luo, Wenhua Geng, Jianliang Zhu. Synthesis, characterization, and performance comparison of boron using adsorbents based on N-methyl-D-glucosamine [J]. Chinese Journal of Chemical Engineering, 2023, 59(7): 16-31.
[14]	Runze Chen, Yuran Chen, Xuemin Liang, Yapeng Kong, Yangyang Fan, Quan Liu, Zhenyu Yang, Feiying Tang, Johnny Muya Chabu, Maru Dessie Walle, Liqiang Wang. Oxidative exfoliation of spent cathode carbon: A two-in-one strategy for its decontamination and high-valued application [J]. Chinese Journal of Chemical Engineering, 2023, 59(7): 262-269.
[15]	Shanghong Ma, Haitao Zhang, Jianbo Qu, Xiuzhong Zhu, Qingfei Hu, Jianyong Wang, Peng Ye, Futao Sai, Shiwei Chen. Preparation of waterborne polyurethane/β-cyclodextrin composite nanosponge by ion condensation method and its application in removing of dyes from wastewater [J]. Chinese Journal of Chemical Engineering, 2023, 58(6): 124-136.