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Development of nitric acid-modified activated carbon electrode for removal of Co2+/Mn2+/Ni2+ by electrosorption

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Abstract

In this paper, nitric acid-modified activated carbon was used as an electrode in the electrosorption process for the removal of Co2+, Mn2+, and Ni2+ from wastewater. The effects of applied voltage, initial pH, and coexisting ions on removal efficiency were investigated. The adsorption process was evaluated by adsorption isotherm models. The results indicated that the electrosorption process was consistent with the Langmuir model, proving that the electrosorption process was a monolayer adsorption process. The maximum adsorption capacities of Co2+, Mn2+, and Ni2+ were 131.58 mg/g, 102.04 mg/g, and 103.09 mg/g. Electrochemical tests revealed that the specific capacitance of AC-HNO3 was 54.11 F/g when the scanning rate was 5 mV/s, while the specific capacitance of AC was 36.51 F/g. The Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) confirmed that the content of oxygen groups on the surface of activated carbon increased after modification, which provided more adsorption sites for electrosorption. When the selected concentration of HCl was used as the eluent, the elution efficiency of Co2+, Mn2+, and Ni2+ could reach 94.23%, 93.65%, and 90.61%. The removal efficiency could reach more than 95% after three cycles. The results of the study can be used as a reference significance for the removal of cobalt, manganese, and nickel ions from heavy metal wastewater by electrosorption.

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Funding

This work was financially supported by the Yantai Science and technology planning project (2021MSGY029), the University and Local Integration Development Project of Yantai (2020XDRHXMPT36), the Academic-Industry Partnership Fund(210F0401006), and the National Natural Science Foundation of China: 21976047. The authors are grateful for all your support.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Yantai Research Institute, Harbin Engineering University, Yantai, 264006, Shandong, People’s Republic of China

    Yun Xue, Wanting Cheng, Meng Cao, Jianzhang Gao, Jiaqi Chen, Yunyang Gui, Wenmin Zhu & Fuqiu Ma

  2. College of Nuclear Science and Technology, Harbin Engineering University, Harbin, 150001, People’s Republic of China

    Yun Xue, Wanting Cheng, Meng Cao, Jianzhang Gao, Jiaqi Chen, Yunyang Gui, Wenmin Zhu & Fuqiu Ma

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  1. Yun Xue
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  2. Wanting Cheng
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All authors (Yun Xue, Wanting Cheng, Meng Cao, Jianzhang Gao, Jiaqi Chen, Yunyang Gui, Wenmin Zhu, and Fuqiu Ma) were equal contributors in writing this review article. All the authors have read and approved the final manuscript.

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Correspondence to Fuqiu Ma.

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Xue, Y., Cheng, W., Cao, M. et al. Development of nitric acid-modified activated carbon electrode for removal of Co2+/Mn2+/Ni2+ by electrosorption. Environ Sci Pollut Res 29, 77536–77552 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-022-21272-0

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