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Bifunctional activated carbon with dual photocatalysis and adsorption capabilities for efficient phenol removal

Adsorption volume 18, pages 67–74 (2012)Cite this article

Abstract

Bifunctional activated carbons (AC) with the abilities of both photocatalysis and adsorption were fabricated via the sol–gel route combined with hydrothermal treatment and N2 reactivation method. TiO2 was located mainly at the entrance of the surface macropores of AC. Under UV light irradiation, efficient removal of phenol was realized by combination of adsorption and photocatalytic degradation for the obtained bifunctional materials. In insufficient light or dark, phenol removal occurred mainly through adsorption. The prepared bifunctional carbon with a mass ratio of 50 TiO2 per AC ratio exhibited high efficiency for phenol removal. The total phenol removal capacity of 50TiO2/AC was almost 5 times of that of pure AC and 6 times of that pure TiO2 after 10 cycles. The prepared bifunctional carbons possess the advantages of high pollutant removal capability and good recyclability, making them promising for the efficient treatment of lightly polluted aqueous solutions.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. College of Material Science and Engineering, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin, 150040, People’s Republic of China

    Wei Li & S. Liu

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  1. Wei Li
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  2. S. Liu
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Correspondence to S. Liu.

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Li, W., Liu, S. Bifunctional activated carbon with dual photocatalysis and adsorption capabilities for efficient phenol removal. Adsorption 18, 67–74 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10450-011-9381-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10450-011-9381-z

Keywords

  • Photocatalysis
  • Adsorption
  • Activated Carbon
  • Titanium dioxide
  • Bifunctional carbon