Fernando M. Machado

Adsorption of Reactive Red M-2BE dye from water solutions by multi-walled carbon nanotubes and activated carbon

Multi-walled carbon nanotubes and powdered activated carbon were used as adsorbents for the successful removal of Reactive Red M-2BE textile dye from aqueous solutions. The adsorbents were characterised by infrared spectroscopy, N(2) adsorption/desorption isotherms and scanning electron microscopy. The effects of pH, shaking time and temperature on adsorption capacity were studied. In the acidic pH region (pH 2.0), the adsorption of the dye was favourable using both adsorbents. The contact time to obtain equilibrium at 298K was fixed at 1h for both adsorbents. The activation energy of the adsorption process was evaluated from 298 to 323K for both adsorbents. The Avrami fractional-order kinetic model provided the best fit to the experimental data compared with pseudo-first-order or pseudo-second-order kinetic adsorption models. For Reactive Red M-2BE dye, the equilibrium data were best fitted to the Liu isotherm model. Simulated dyehouse effluents were used to check the applicability of the proposed adsorbents for effluent treatment.

Microwave-assisted activated carbon from cocoa shell as adsorbent for removal of sodium diclofenac and nimesulide from aqueous effluents

Microwave-induced chemical activation process was used to prepare an activated carbon from cocoa shell for efficient removal of two anti-inflammatories, sodium diclofenac (DFC) and nimesulide (NM), from aqueous solutions. A paste was obtained from a mixture of cocoa shell and inorganic components; with a ratio of inorganic: organic of 1 (CSC-1.0). The mixture was pyrolyzed in a microwave oven in less than 10 min. The CSC-1.0 was acidified with a 6 mol L(-1) HCl under reflux to produce MWCS-1.0. The CSC-1.0 and MWCS-1.0 were characterized using FTIR, SEM, N2 adsorption/desorption curves, X-ray diffraction, and point of zero charge (pHpzc). Experimental variables such as initial pH of the adsorbate solutions and contact time were optimized for adsorptive characteristics of MWCS-1.0. The optimum pH for removal of anti-inflammatories ranged between 7.0 and 8.0. The kinetic of adsorption was investigated using general order, pseudo first-order and pseu do-second order kinetic models. The maximum amounts of DCF and NM adsorbed onto MWCS-1.0 at 25 °C are 63.47 and 74.81 mg g(-1), respectively. The adsorbent was tested on two simulated hospital effluents. MWCS-1.0 is capable of efficient removal of DCF and NM from a medium that contains high sugar and salt concentrations.

New carbon composite adsorbents for the removal of textile dyes from aqueous solutions : Kinetic, equilibrium, and thermodynamic studies

New carbon composite materials were prepared by pyrolysis of mixture of coffee wastes and red mud at 700 °C with the inorganic: organic ratios of 1.9 (CC-1.9) and 2.2 (CC-2.2). These adsorbents were used to remove reactive orange 16 (RO-16) and reactive red 120 (RR-120) textile dyes from aqueous solution. The CC-1.9 and CC-2.2 materials were characterized using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, Nitrogen adsorption/desorption curves, scanning electron Microscopy and X-ray diffraction. The kinetic of adsorption data was fitted by general order kinetic model. A three-parameter isotherm model, Liu isotherm model, gave the best fit of the equilibrium data (298 to 323 K). The maximum amounts of dyes removed at 323 K were 144.8 (CC-1.9) and 139.5 mg g−1 (CC-2.2) for RO-16 dye and 95.76 (CC-1.9) and 93.80 mg g−1 (CC-2.2) for RR-120 dye. Two simulated dyehouse effluents were used to investigate the application of the adsorbents for effluent treatment.

Adsorption of a textile dye from aqueous solutions by carbon nanotubes

Multi-walled and single-walled carbon nanotubes were used as adsorbents for the removal of Reactive Blue 4 textile dye from aqueous solutions. The adsorbents were characterised using Raman spectroscopy, N2 adsorption/desorption isotherms and scanning and transmission electron microscopy. The effects of pH, agitation time and temperature on adsorption capacity were studied. In the acidic pH region, the adsorption of the dye was favourable using both adsorbents. The contact time to obtain equilibrium isotherms at 298-323 K was fixed at 4 hours for both adsorbents. For Reactive Blue 4 dye, Liu isotherm model gave the best fit for the equilibrium data. The maximum sorption capacity for adsorption of the dye occurred at 323 K, attaining values of 502.5 and 567.7 mg g-1 for MWCNT and SWCNT, respectively.

Application of Carbon Composite Adsorbents Prepared from Coffee Waste and Clay for the Removal of Reactive Dyes from Aqueous Solutions

A novel carbon composite was prepared from a mixture of coffee waste and clay with inorganic:organic ratio of 1.3 (CC-1.3). The mixture was pyrolysed at 700 °C. Considering the application of this adsorbent for removal of anionic dyes, the CC-1.3 was treated with a 6 mol L-1 HCl for 24 h to obtain ACC-1.3. Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), N2 adsorption/desorption curves, scanning electron microscope (SEM) and powder X-ray diffractometry (XRD) were used for characterisation of CC-1.3 and ACC-1.3 carbon adsorbents. The adsorbents were effectively utilised for removal of reactive blue 19 (RB-19) and reactive violet 5 (RV-5) textile dyes from aqueous solutions. The maximum amounts of RB-19 dye adsorbed at 25 °C are 63.59 (CC-1.3) and 110.6 mg g-1 (ACC-1.3), and 54.34 (CC-1.3) and 94.32 mg g-1 (ACC-1.3) for RV-5 dye. Four simulated dye-house effluents were used to test the application of the adsorbents for treatment of effluents.

Materials for Adsorbent Applications

Nanoscience and Nanotechnology suggest that many of the current problems involving energy storage and industrial effluents could be solved or greatly ameliorated using the nano-scale adsorbents, called nanoadsorbents. Innovations in the development of novel materials, such as dendrimers, zeolites, nanocomposites based on metal hydrides and carbonaceous structures like carbon nanotubes are among the most exciting and promising. This chapter provides an overview of the use of nanomaterials as adsorbents. We highlight recent advances in the development of new nano-scale materials and processes for H2 adsorption and adsorption of toxic metal ions, synthetic dyes, biological contaminants and acids in aqueous solutions.