María Alexandre-Franco

Adsorption of cadmium by sulphur dioxide treated activated carbon

Merck carbon (1.5 mm) was treated in three ways: heating from ambient temperature to 900 degrees C in SO(2); treatment at ambient temperature in SO(2); or successive treatments in SO(2) and H(2)S at ambient temperature. All samples were then characterised and tested as adsorbents of Cd(2+) from aqueous solution. The characterisation was in terms of composition by effecting ultimate and proximate analyses and also of textural properties by N(2) adsorption at -196 degrees C. Kinetics and extent of the adsorption process of Cd(2+) were studied at 25 and 45 degrees C at pH of the Cd(2+) solution (i.e., 6.2) and at 25 degrees C also at pH 2.0. The various treatments of the starting carbon had no significant effect on the kinetics of the adsorption of Cd(2+), but increased its adsorption capacity. The most effective treatment was heating to 900 degrees C, the adsorption in this case being 70.3% more than that of the starting carbon. The adsorption increased at 45 degrees C but decreased at pH 2.0 when compared to adsorption at 25 degrees C and pH 6.2, respectively.

Adsorption of cadmium on carbonaceous adsorbents developed from used tire rubber

Carbonaceous adsorbents (CAs) are developed from used tire rubber (UTR) and tested as adsorbents of Cd(2+) in aqueous solution. In the preparation of the CAs, UTR was treated thermally at 400-900 °C for 2 h in N(2) and at 850 °C for 2 h in steam. Concentrated NaOH, HCl, H(2)SO(4), HNO(3) and H(2)O(2) solutions were also used. UTR and H900 (i.e. UTR pyrolyzed at 900 °C) were treated with O(3) at 25 °C for 1 h and with air at 250 °C for 1 and 24 h. CAs were characterized texturally by N(2) adsorption at -196 °C, mercury porosimetry, and density measurements. The surface groups were analyzed by FT-IR spectroscopy. Using the batch method, the adsorption process of Cd(2+) was studied mainly from the kinetic standpoint at various pH values of the adsorptive solution. Significant porosity developments are achieved only when UTR is heat-treated, in particular in steam. However, the variety and concentration of surface groups are low in CAs. This is so even for CAs prepared using oxidizing agents as strong as O(3) and H(2)O(2), which has been associated with a lack of available or accessible surface active sites for oxidation in UTR and H900, respectively. Thermal and thermal-chemical treatments are usually more effective than chemical treatments to increase the adsorption of Cd(2+) in aqueous solution. The adsorption process of Cd(2+) is first fast and then much slower. Adsorption-time data fit better to a pseudo-second order kinetic equation than to a pseudo-first order kinetic equation. The extent to which the adsorption process occurs is strongly dependent on the pH of the Cd(2+) solution, being larger at pH 4.6 or 7.0 according to the adsorbent.

Preparation of activated carbons from walnut wood: a study of microporosity and fractal dimension

Agricultural and forest residues constitute an extraordinarily important source of precursors for the manufacture of activated carbons. Activated carbons are well known as porous solids with a highly developed apparent surface area. In the present work, activated carbon has been prepared from forest residues of walnut tree wood (a raw material not studied until now) by physical activation. Raw material has been carbonized between 573 and 1073 K and afterwards activated in air at temperatures between 623 and 823 K. The apparent surface area, micropore volume, mesopore volume and fractal dimension of the samples prepared have been calculated.

Carbonization and demineralization of coals: A study by means of FT-IR spectroscopy

Coal basically consists of two parts—a crystalline, inorganic part, and an amorphous, organic part. Based on this, we intended to study the changes that occurred on the composition and on the chemical structure of coals after carbonization at 1000 or 900° C and demineralization treatments with hydrochloric and hydrofluoric acids. For this, four coals of different categories (or levels) were chosen: semianthracite (A-O) and high volatile bituminous coal (B-O), which are high level coals, and lignite (Li-O) and leonardite (Le-O), these being low level coals. The coals were first analysed in terms of their proximate and elemental compositions and then carbonized and demineralized. Also, the starting coals and the prepared samples were examined by infrared spectroscopy. In addition, a study of the optimization of the application of this technique for only A-O was carried out. For A-O and B-O, the spectra recorded intense absorption bands that are ascribable to vibration modes in mineral components as quartz and aluminosilicates, such as kaolinite. For Li-O and Le-O, the spectra displayed some other bands as well, also quite intense, which have been assigned to bond vibrations in functional groups and structures of their organic part. The carbonization of the coals resulted in significant changes in their inorganic part as the content of quartz increased and the content of aluminosilicates decreased. In addition, the thermal decomposition of mineral carbonates occurred. The carbonization greatly affects the organic part of the coals, especially in Li-O and Le-O, as most functional groups and structures are not thermally stable under heating conditions. With regard to demineralization, HF is a more effective agent than HCl, achieving products with higher organic content. The mass losses are higher in Li-O and Le-O than in A-O and B-O. So, the infrared spectroscopy allows the analysis of both inorganic and organic parts of the coals and of their carbonization and demineralization products. These processes facilitate subsequent analysis of the inorganic and organic parts of coals by infrared spectroscopy. In the application of this technique, both the coal: KBr ratio and the thickness for the disks should be controlled, owing to the influence on the infrared absorption.

Preparation of Micropore-Containing Adsorbents from Kenaf Fibers and Their Use in Mercury Removal from Aqueous Solution

Here, a number of activated carbon fibers (ACFs) prepared from kenaf natural fibers (KNFs) by chemical activation with KOH under different operation conditions have been used as adsorbents for the removal of mercury from aqueous solutions. Samples were characterized by N2 adsorption at 77 K, mercury porosimetry, scanning electronic microscopy (SEM), and FT-IR spectroscopy. The adsorption of mercury at 25°C without pH adjustment from an aqueous solution was evaluated from both kinetic and equilibrium standpoints. It was found that the activation conditions during the preparation of ACFs (i.e., impregnation ratios and activation temperatures) had a strong influence on the porosity of the resultant samples and, therefore, on their mercury adsorption capacity. The sample prepared at 800°C using an impregnation ratio of 3:1 (named K3-800) presented the maximum Langmuir adsorption capacity (10.53 mg/g). This sample showed a specific surface area of 881 m2/g, a micropore volume of 0.60 cm3/g, and the highest total pore volume (2.69 cm3/g).

Adsorption Isotherms of Methylene Blue in Aqueous Solution onto Activated Carbons Developed from Vine Shoots (Vitis Vinifera) by Physical and Chemical Methods

Carbonaceous adsorbents (CAs) developed from vine shoots (Vitis Vinifera, VS) and characterized texturally were used for the adsorption of Methylene Blue (MB) from aqueous solution. The CAs were prepared by physical activation in air, carbon dioxide and steam, and by chemical activation with H3PO4, ZnCl2 and KOH. One commercial activated carbon (CAC) was also used. The CAs were analyzed texturally by gas adsorption, mercury porosimetry and density measurements. Physical activation yielded mainly macroporous CAs, whereas chemical activation gave rise to mainly mesoporous CAs with high micro- and macro-pore contents. CAC was an essentially microporous carbon. The affinity of MB towards the CAs was usually low, except for the carbon prepared by activation of VS with KOH at 800 °C for 2 h. This AC exhibited a better behaviour in the adsorption of MB than CAC. The development of macroporosity in the KOH activation product was considerable.

Activated carbon from cherry stones by chemical activation. Influence of the impregnation method on porous structure

Cherry stones are utilized as a precursor for the preparation of activated carbons by chemical activation with phosphoric acid (H3PO4). The activation process typically consists of successive impregnation, carbonization, and washing stages. Here, several impregnation variables are comprehensively studied, including H3PO4 concentration, number of soaking steps, H3PO4 recycling, washing of the impregnated material, and previous semi-carbonization. The choice of a suitable impregnation methodology opens up additional possibilities for the preparation of a wide variety of activated carbons with high yields and tailored porous structures. Microporous activated carbons with specific surface areas of ∼800 m2 g−1 are produced, in which > 60% of the total pore volume is due to micropores. High surface areas of ∼1500 m2 g−1 can be also developed, with micropore volumes being a 26% of the total pore volume. Interestingly, using the same amount of H3PO4, either carbons with surface areas of 791 and 337 m2 g−1 or only one carbon with a surface area of 640 m2 g−1 can be prepared. The pore volumes range very widely between 0.07–0.55, 0.01–0.90, and 0.09–0.79 cm3 g−1 for micropores, mesopores, and macropores, respectively.

Particle size distribution and morphological changes in activated carbon-metal oxide hybrid catalysts prepared under different heating conditions.

In catalysis processes, activated carbon (AC) and metal oxides (MOs) are widely used either as catalysts or as catalyst supports because of their unique properties. A combination of AC and a MO in a single hybrid material entails changes not only in the composition, microstructure and texture but also in the morphology, which may largely influence the catalytic behaviour of the resulting product. This work is aimed at investigating the modifications in the morphology and particle size distribution (PSD) for AC‐MO hybrid catalysts as a result of their preparation under markedly different heating conditions. From a commercial AC and six MO (Al2O3, Fe2O3, ZnO, SnO2, TiO2 and WO3) precursors, two series of such catalysts are prepared by wet impregnation, oven‐drying at 120ºC, and subsequent heat treatment at 200ºC or 850ºC in inert atmosphere. The resulting samples are characterized in terms of their morphology and PSD by scanning electron microscopy and ImageJ processing program. Obtained results indicate that the morphology, PSD and degree of dispersion of the supported catalysts are strongly dependent both on the MO precursor and the heat treatment temperature. With the temperature rise, trends are towards the improvement of crystallinity, the broadening of the PSD and the increase in the average particle size, thus suggesting the involvement of sintering mechanisms. Such effects are more pronounced for the Fe, Sn and W catalysts due to the reduction of the corresponding MOs by AC during the heat treatment at 850ºC.

How does phosphoric acid interact with cherry stones? A discussion on overlooked aspects of chemical activation

The fabrication of activated carbon (AC) is widely carried out by the so-called chemical activation method, in which the biomass substratum is put in touch with an impregnating chemical agent prior to the carbonization stage. Even though this methodology is known for a long time, there are many features that are still poorly understood, particularly those regarding the details of the underlying mechanisms involved during the interaction of the activating agent with the precursor, eventually leading to the development of AC. Previous research conducted in the laboratories dealt with the use of cherry stones (CS) and phosphoric acid, toward ACs with tailored porous structures, finding out that the experimental variables of the impregnation stage were crucial for their eventual characteristics. Thus, the results obtained at that time deserved further discussion, with the aim at unraveling the true nature of those findings. With such purpose, the authors comment further on the CS and H3PO4 in non-conventional impregnation methodologies, performed in the previous works. Four series of H3PO4-impregnated products were prepared in a previous research, using a wide range of impregnation strategies, aiming at controlling the loading of H3PO4 on the lignocellulosic substratum. Herein, with the mass uptake as the main, it was possible to link the uptake with the chemical changes of H3PO4 in agreement with essential chemistry knowledge. Mass gain is strongly dependent on the impregnation method, and interesting insights arise on the basis of the mass changes of CS after impregnation.

Shock Resistance and Compression Analysis of Concrete in Expanded Polystyrene Formworks (EPSFWs)

Bench-scale and industrial expanded polystyrene formworks (EPSFWs) were prepared and tested in terms of shock resistance and compression analyses. The composition of the EPSFWs was varied and the influence of the substitution of calcium carbonate by granite, kaolin or slate on the mechanical properties of the EPSFWs was analyzed. Bench-scale samples were subjected to a previous selection based on the optimal mechanical behavior. Samples containing large grain sand and slate were chosen for the subsequent industrial scale preparation. The real EPSFWs were also tested from the shock resistance and compression standpoints. The results obtained suggest that the samples showing the best performance among all the tested EPSFWs are those in which calcium carbonate was substituted by slate. This fact is of special interest since large amounts of slate dust are obtained in the area of Spanish Extremadura from local mines. Thus, the preparation of formworks represents a good alternative for the valorization of this by-product.