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Removal of VOCs by activated carbon microspheres derived from polymer: a comparative study

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Abstract

It is of great concern to develop a high-efficient adsorbent for removing halomethanes, because they are harmful to human health. In this work, the activated carbon microspheres (ACMs) derived from spherical copolymer of vinylidene chloride and styrene were used to adsorb these hazardous pollutants from gases. The BET surface area of the ACM was 1104 m2/g and mostly dedicated by the micropores between 0.4 and 1.5 nm. The micropore dominating the nature of the ACM renders eminent adsorption capacity. The uniform scales on the surface and expedite passages inside the ACM offer excellent mass transfer performance during adsorption process. To assess the adsorption behavior of the ACM, dynamic adsorption tests were conducted at different temperatures, feed concentrations, and gas velocities. For comparison, a typical commercial activated carbon made from coconut shell was also tested under identical conditions. The results show that the ACM has large adsorption capacity, good adaptability and easy recyclability, which renders high potential and cost-effectiveness for commercial utilization.

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Acknowledgments

The authors greatly appreciate the financial supports of the National Natural Science Foundation of China (21373234), the Special Funds for Technological Development of Research Institutes from the Ministry of Science and Technology of China (2013EG111129), the Program for overseas talents from Beijing Academy of Science and Technology (OTP-2013-015), the Program for Innovative Research Team from Beijing Academy of Science and Technology (IG201204 N), Peiyu programs of CMS (CMS-PY-201347) and Open project of Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences (2013002).

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    Authors and Affiliations

    1. Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences, Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100190, People’s Republic of China

      Qingli Qian & Guoqing Yuan

    2. Environmental Protection Research Institute of Light Industry, Beijing Academy of Science and Technology, Beijing, 100089, People’s Republic of China

      Chenhao Gong & Zhongguo Zhang

    3. State Joint Key Laboratory of Environment Simulation and Pollution Control, School of Environment, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, 100875, People’s Republic of China

      Chenhao Gong

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    1. Qingli Qian
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    2. Chenhao Gong
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    Correspondence to Qingli Qian or Zhongguo Zhang.

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    Qingli Qian and Chenhao Gong contributed equally to this work.

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    Qian, Q., Gong, C., Zhang, Z. et al. Removal of VOCs by activated carbon microspheres derived from polymer: a comparative study. Adsorption 21, 333–341 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10450-015-9673-9

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    • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10450-015-9673-9

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