Skip to main content
Log in

Adsorption of phenol in flow systems by a monolithic carbon cryogel with a microhoneycomb structure

  • Published:
Adsorption Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Adsorption of phenol from an aqueous solution in batch and continuous flow systems using carbon gels with a microhoneycomb structure (carbon gel microhoneycombs, CMHs) was studied. The obtained monolithic CMHs had fairly straight channels, 25–45 μm in diameter, and the thickness of the walls which form the channels was around 5 μm. The CMHs showed 370 times lower hydraulic resistance when compared with a column packed with particles having the same diffusion path length as it. The obtained CMHs have a hierarchical micro-meso porous structure giving BET surface area in the range of 513–1070 m2·g−1.When used for phenol adsorption from an aqueous solution, the CMHs quickly adsorbed phenol at first, and then, the uptake gradually increased, which indicates that the adsorption mechanism is based on not only simple physisorption. The phenol adsorption capacity increased with the increase in carbonization temperature of the CMH and the decrease in its hydrophilicity. CMHs carbonized at temperatures higher than 1073 K showed the highest phenol adsorption capacity which was around 160 mg·g−1. The CMHs could continuously adsorb phenol from aqueous solutions, and their length of unused bed (LUB) values depended on operation conditions but were in the range of 0.3–0.7 cm. The experimental results indicated that carbon cryogels with a microhoneycomb structure have a high potential to be used for effective separation of phenol.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5
Fig. 6
Fig. 7
Fig. 8

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Dąbrowski, A., Podkościelny, P., Hubicki, Z., Barczak, M.: Adsorption of phenolic compounds by activated carbon—a critical review. Chemosphere 58, 1049–1070 (2005)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Esplugas, S., Giménez, J., Contreras, S., Pascual, E., Rodríguez, M.: Comparison of different advanced oxidation processes for phenol degradation. Water Res. 36(4), 1034–1042 (2002)

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Grant, T., King, C.: Mechanism of irreversible adsorption of phenolic compounds by activated carbons. Ind. Eng. Chem. Res. 29, 264–271 (1990)

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Government of Japan, Ministry of the Environment.: National Effluent Standards. http://www.env.go.jp/en/water/wq/nes.html (2014) Accessed 20 Oct 2015

  • Henley, E.J., Seader, J.D., Roper, D.K.: Separation process principles, international student version, 3rd edn. Wiley, New York (2011)

    Google Scholar 

  • Jiang, H.L., Tay, J.H., Tay, S.T.: L: aggregation of immobilized activated sludge cells into aerobically grown microbial granules for the aerobic biodegradation of phenol. Lett. Appl. Microbiol. 35(5), 439–445 (2002)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Juang, R.S., Tseng, R.-L., Wu, F.-C.: Role of microporosity of activated carbons on their adsorption abilities for phenols and dyes. Adsorption 7(1), 65–72 (2001)

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Kim, S.I., Yamamoto, T., Endo, A., Ohmori, T., Nakaiwa, M.: Adsorption of phenol and reactive dyes from aqueous solution on carbon cryogel microspheres with controlled porous structure. Micropor. Mesopor. Mat. 96(1–3), 191–196 (2006)

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Kujawski, W., Warszawski, A., Ratajczak, W., Porębski, T., Capała, W., Ostrowska, I.: Removal of phenol from wastewater by different separation techniques. Desalination 163(1–3), 287–296 (2004)

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Lin, S.H., Juang, R.S.: Adsorption of phenol and its derivatives from water using synthetic resins and low-cost natural adsorbents: a review. J. Environ. Manage. 90(3), 1336–1349 (2009)

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Magne, P., Walker, P.L.: Phenol adsorption on activated carbons: application to the regeneration of activated carbons polluted with phenol. Carbon 24(2), 101–107 (1986)

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Mukai, S.R., Kimura, Y., Yoshida, S., Ogino, I.: Development of a novel cesium adsorbent which causes minimal hydraulic resistance through the immobilization of prussian blue analogues in a monolithic silica-alumina microhoneycomb. Chem. Eng. Trans. 42, 181–186 (2014)

    Google Scholar 

  • Mukai, S.R., Nishihara, H., Tamon, H.: Formation of monolithic silica gel microhoneycombs (SMHs) using pseudosteady state growth of microstructural ice crystals. Chem. Commun. 7, 874–875 (2004)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Murakami, K., Satoh, Y., Ogino, I., Mukai, S.R.: Synthesis of a monolithic carbon-based acid catalyst with a honeycomb structure for flow reaction systems. Ind. Eng. Chem. Res. 52(44), 15372–15376 (2013)

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Nishihara, H., Mukai, S.R., Shichi, S., Tamon, H.: Preparation of titania–silica cryogels with controlled shapes and photocatalysis through unidirectional freezing. Mater. Lett. 64(8), 959–961 (2010)

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Nishihara, H., Mukai, S.R., Tamon, H.: Preparation of resorcinol–formaldehyde carbon cryogel microhoneycombs. Carbon 42(4), 899–901 (2004)

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Nishihara, H., Mukai, S.R., Yamashita, D., Tamon, H.: Ordered nacroporous silica by ice templating. Chem. Mater. 17(3), 683–689 (2005)

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Ogino, I., Sakai, K., Mukai, S.R.: Marked increase in hydrophobicity of monolithic carbon cryogels via hcl aging of precursor resorcinol-formaldehyde hydrogels: application to 1-butanol recovery from dilute aqueous solutions. J. Phys. Chem. C 118(13), 6866–6872 (2014)

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Ogino, I., Suzuki, Y., Mukai, S.R.: Tuning the pore structure and surface properties of carbon-based acid catalysts for liquid-phase reactions. ACS Catal. 5(8), 4951–4958 (2015)

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Patton, A., Crittenden, B.D., Perera, S.P.: Use of the linear driving force approximation to guide the design of monolithic adsorbents. Chem. Eng. Res. Des. 82(8), 999–1009 (2004)

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Ruthven, D.M.: Principles of adsorption and adsorption processes. Wiley, New York (1984)

    Google Scholar 

  • Satoh, Y., Yokoyama, Y., Ogino, I., Mukai, S.R.: Synthesis of sulfonic acid functionalized silica honeycombs. Ind. Eng. Chem. Res. 52(44), 15293–15297 (2013)

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Sing, K.S.W., Everett, D.H., Haul, R.A.W., Moscou, L., Pierotti, R.A., Rouquèrol, J., Siemieniewska, T.: Reporting physisorption data for gas/solid systems with special reference to the determination of surface area and porosity (Recommendations 1984). Pure Appl. Chem. 57(4), 603–619 (1985)

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Srivastava, V.C., Swamy, M.M., Mall, I.D., Prasad, B., Mishra, I.M.: Adsorptive removal of phenol by bagasse fly ash and activated carbon: equilibrium, kinetics and thermodynamics. Colloid. Surface. A 272(1–2), 89–104 (2006)

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Thommes, M., Mitchell, S., Pérez-Ramírez, J.: Surface and pore structure assessment of hierarchical MFI zeolites by advanced water and argon sorption studies. J. Phys. Chem. C. 116(35), 18816–18823 (2012)

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Vergunst, T., Kapteijn, F., Moulijn, J.A.: Preparation of carbon-coated monolithic supports. Carbon 40(11), 1891–1902 (2002)

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Williams, J.L.: Monolith structures, materials, properties and uses. Catal. Today 69(1–4), 3–9 (2001)

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Yoshida, S., Kimura, Y., Ogino, I., Mukai, S.R.: Synthesis of a microhoneycomb-type silica-supported ammonium molybdophosphate for cesium separation. J. Chem. Eng. Jpn. 46(9), 616–619 (2013)

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

This work was supported by the Japan Society for the promotion of Science (JSPS), Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (B) 24360324.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Shin R. Mukai.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Yoshida, S., Iwamura, S., Ogino, I. et al. Adsorption of phenol in flow systems by a monolithic carbon cryogel with a microhoneycomb structure. Adsorption 22, 1051–1058 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10450-016-9799-4

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10450-016-9799-4

Keywords

Navigation