Abstract
Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) frequently pose a threat to the biosphere, impacting ecosystems, flora, fauna, and the surrounding environment. Industrial emissions of VOCs often include the presence of water vapor, which, in turn, diminishes the adsorption capacity and efficacy of adsorbents. This occurs due to the competitive adsorption of water vapor, which competes with target pollutants for adsorption sites on the adsorbent material. In this study, hydrophobic activated carbons (BMIMPF6-AC (L), BMIMPF6-AC (g), and BMIMPF6-AC-H) were successfully prepared using 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium hexafluorophosphate (BMIMPF6) to adsorb toluene under humidity environment. The adsorption performance and mechanism of the resulting ionic liquid-modified activated carbon for toluene in a high-humidity environment were evaluated to explore the potential application of ionic liquids as hydrophobic modifiers. The results indicated that BMIMPF6-AC-H exhibited superior hydrophobicity. The toluene adsorption capacity of BMIMPF6-AC-H was 1.53 times higher than that of original activated carbon, while the adsorption capacity for water vapor was only 37.30% of it at 27 °C and 77% RH. The Y-N model well-fitted the dynamic adsorption experiments. To elucidate the microscopic mechanism of hydrophobic modification, the Independent Gradient Model (IGM) method was employed to characterize the intermolecular interactions between BMIMPF6 and toluene. Overall, this study introduces a new modifier for hydrophobic modification of activated carbon, which could enhance the efficiency of activated carbon in treating industrial VOCs.
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Abbreviations
- c 0 :
-
The initial concentration of toluene, mg·L−1
- c t :
-
The outlet concentration at time “t” of toluene, mg·L−1
- E 1 :
-
The energy of BMIMPF6, kJ·mol−1
- E 2 :
-
The energy of toluene, kJ·mol−1
- E complex :
-
The total energy of complex forming by BMIMPF6 and toluene, kJ·mol−1
- k′ :
-
The rate constant, min−1
- m :
-
Mass of activated carbons after adsorption, g
- m 0 :
-
Mass of activated carbons before adsorption, g
- Q :
-
The gas flow rate, L·min−1
- q :
-
The saturated adsorption capacity for toluene, mg·g−1
- t :
-
The adsorption time, min
- T e :
-
The saturation time, min
- τ :
-
The half-penetration time at which the concentration ratio of ct/c0 reaches 0.5, min
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Funding
This work was supported by the National Key R&D Program of China (2019YFE0122100), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (22131004), the Leading Scientific Research Project from China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC-CXLM-202205), and the Key Science and Technology Program of Henan Province (242102521035).
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Conceptualization: Ji-xiang Li; data curation: Ji-feng Guo, Xin Zhang, and Nan Liu; methodology: Jia-jun Hu, Wen-juan Wang, and Ji-xiang Li; formal analysis and investigation: Jia-jun Hu; investigation: Xin Zhang and Jia-lin Lv; writing—original draft preparation: Zhao-li Ping; writing—review and editing: Ji-feng Guo, Zhao-li Ping, and Nan Liu; validation: Zhao-li Ping; software: Jia-lin Lv and Yan-yan Yao; resources: Wen-juan Wang and Ji-xiang Li; supervision: Nan Liu and Wen-juan Wang. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.
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Highlights
• Hydrophobic activated carbon was successfully synthesized to adsorb toluene in a high-humidity environment.
• The adsorption capacity of BMIMPF6-AC-H for toluene reached 166.71 mg·g−1 at 77% RH and 27 °C.
• The adsorption capacity had increased from 108.61 to 166.71 mg·g−1 compared to original activated carbon.
• The water contact angle and adsorption capacity of BMIMPF6-AC-H for water were measured at 111.2° and 30.90 mg·g−1 at 77% RH and 27 °C, respectively.
• The introduction of the hydrophobic PF6− group, replacing oxygen functional groups, resulted in a decrease in water adsorption capacity and a corresponding increase in the adsorption capacity for toluene.
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Guo, Jf., Ping, Zl., Liu, N. et al. Performance on adsorption of toluene by ionic liquid-modified AC in high-humidity exhaust gas. Environ Sci Pollut Res (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-024-33578-2
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-024-33578-2