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Carboxylic acid recovery from aqueous solutions by activated carbon produced from sugarcane bagasse

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Abstract

This work explores the use of activated carbon (AC) synthesized from sugarcane bagasse (SB) to adsorb volatile carboxylic acids (VCA). Activation was performed by impregnation of SB with 20 and 35 % v/v H3PO4 (resulting P20 and P35 respectively) and by impregnation with 30 and 40 % v/v ZnCl2 (resulting Zn30 and Zn40 respectively). Since a low adsorption of VCA was expected in acid activated carbons, they were modified with KOH resulting P20 K and P35 K. Characterization of the produced ACs showed essentially microporous carbons, and points of zero charge between 8.4 and 9.2 that favor chemisorption of anions as VCA carboxylates. Zn40 showed the highest individual VCA molar adsorption percentages, followed by P35 K which also showed a highly microporous surface and sites of high adsorption energy on the N2 adsorption isotherms. Desorption by sonication and heating was performed on Zn40 after acetic acid adsorption, obtaining the highest desorption percentage by sonication.

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Acknowledgments

The authors thank the framework Agreement between Universidad de los Andes (Colombia) and Universidad Nacional de Colombia, as well the Agreement Statement (Acta de Acuerdo) between the Departments of Chemistry of both Universities.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Departamento de Ingeniería Química, Universidad de los Andes, Carrera 1 No. 18 A-10, Bogotá, DC, Colombia

    Erika Suescún-Mathieu, Andrea Bautista-Carrizosa & Rocio Sierra

  2. Departamento de Química, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Carrera 30 No. 45-03, Bogotá, DC, Colombia

    Liliana Giraldo

  3. Departamento de Química, Grupo de Investigación en Sólidos Porosos y Calorimetría, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de los Andes, Carrera 1 No. 18 A-10, Bogotá, DC, Colombia

    Juan Carlos Moreno-Piraján

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  1. Erika Suescún-Mathieu
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  2. Andrea Bautista-Carrizosa
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  3. Rocio Sierra
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  4. Liliana Giraldo
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  5. Juan Carlos Moreno-Piraján
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Correspondence to Juan Carlos Moreno-Piraján.

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Suescún-Mathieu, E., Bautista-Carrizosa, A., Sierra, R. et al. Carboxylic acid recovery from aqueous solutions by activated carbon produced from sugarcane bagasse. Adsorption 20, 935–943 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10450-014-9638-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10450-014-9638-4

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