Jiaojiao Kong

Preparation of activated carbon derived from leather waste by H3PO4 activation and its application for basic fuchsin adsorption

AbstractLeather activated carbon (LAC) was prepared from the leather waste by H3PO4 impregnated at 105°C for 3 h and activated at 450°C for 1 h in a muffle furnace. Based on LAC, Mn-modified leather activated carbon (LAC-Mn) was also studied. The two adsorbents were characterized by scanning electron microscopy, pore distribution, N2 adsorption/desorption isotherms, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Several factors, such as contact time, dosage, and pH were studied, which indicated that cation exchange, hydrophobicity, and π-electron-donor–acceptor interaction were likely the adsorption mechanisms for basic fuchsin adsorption. Meanwhile, adsorbent effects of LAC and LAC-Mn were highly pH dependent, which reached maximum under alkaline conditions. The adsorption kinetic followed the pseudo-second-order kinetic model with high correlation coefficients (R2 > 0.99), which means intra-particle diffusion process was not the only mechanism involved. Thermodynamics sho...