Fabrication of hydrophobic regenerated activated carbon with high specific surface area

Activated carbon (AC) has been widely used in the prevention and control of air and water pollution due to its excellent adsorption ability. However, the adsorption capacity of AC for targeting organic compounds is reduced because of the competitive adsorption of water molecules. The current study proposes hydrophobic modification and regeneration of waste AC as a solution to these issues. Using waste AC as raw material, SiO2 particles were introduced to increase its surface roughness and micropores of AC. Nonpolar alkyl chain groups were grafted on the surface of AC to improve its hydrophobic performance, and high-temperature regeneration was used to increase its specific surface area. The experimental results showed that the water contact angle of AC increased from 30 degrees (hydrophilic) to 142 degrees (hydrophobic) after modification, and it maintained an angle of 139 degrees even after high-temperature regeneration. The specific surface area of hydrophobic AC increased from 290 to 1075 m(2) g(-1) and the equilibrium adsorption capacity of hydrophobic AC for methylene blue is 425.4 mg g(-1) after regeneration. AC-adsorbed methylene blue also has excellent hydrophobicity (145 degrees) and high specific surface area (1250 m(2) g(-1)) after being modified and regenerated by the same methods. After being exposed to air for 600 days, the modified AC still has good hydrophobicity (125 degrees). This indicates that our method of hydrophobic modification combined with regeneration has great significance to the recovery and utilization of waste AC.

Automated summary

The study proposed hydrophobic modification and regeneration of waste AC to enhance its adsorption capacity for organic compounds by increasing surface roughness, introducing SiO2 particles, grafting nonpolar alkyl chain groups, and using high-temperature regeneration. The experimental results showed improved hydrophobicity and specific surface area of the modified AC, indicating the method's significance for the recovery and utilization of waste AC.