Effect of zinc and cerium addition on property of copper-based adsorbents for phosphine adsorption

A series of copper-based activated carbon (AC) adsorbents were prepared in order to investigate the effect of Zn, Ce addition on Cu-based AC adsorbent for phosphine (PH3) adsorption removal from yellow phosphorous tail gas. N-2 adsorption isotherm and X-ray diffraction (XRD) results suggested that the addition of Zn could increase the adsorbent ultramicropores, decrease the adsorbent supermicropores and the adsorbent average pore diameter. Therefore it enhanced the PH3 adsorption capacity. Appropriate amount of Ce addition could promote the reducibility of copper oxide, increase the thermal stability of adsorbent, and therefore enhance the PH3 adsorption capacity. It could be concluded that copper, zinc, and cerium exhibited a strong synergistic effect on the Cu-based AC adsorbents, which enhanced significantly the adsorption capacity of activated carbon. The present study indicated that the Cu-based adsorbents might be one of candidates for PH3 removal from yellow phosphorous tail gas.