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Electrosorption of Cu(II) and Zn(II) in Capacitive Deionization by KOH Activation Coconut-Shell Activated Carbon

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Abstract

Capacitive deionization (CDI) is a simple, cost-efficient, and environmentally friendly method for brackish water desalination, and CDI technology also refers to heavy metal removal through the non-Faraday-process. In order to develop the highly electro-adsorptive electrode for heavy metal electrosorption via CDI process, a combination of biomass-derived activated carbon (AC) and nano-carbonaceous materials have been considered as a sustainable approach. In this study, the composite coconut-shell-derived AC@CNTs electrode with low CNTs content (1 wt%) was utilized for Cu(II) and Zn(II) removal. The surface properties of pristine AC and KOH-activated AC with nitrogen adsorption technique (BET) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) are characterized. As calculated from BET measurements, surface area are 581 m2/g, 560 m2/g, and 552 m2/g, corresponding to AC-KOH-2@CNTs, AC-KOH-4@CNTs, and AC-KOH-6@CNTs. After KOH activation, a specific capacitance of AC-KOH-2@CNTs is significantly increased up to 133.7 F/g in comparison with 78.0 F/g of pristine AC. Furthermore, in the Cu(II) and Zn(II) removal performance, AC-KOH-2@CNTs achieved a significant average salt adsorption rate of 29.87 mg/g min and 25.27 mg/g min with a high salt adsorption (SAC) of 7.31 mg/g and 12.55 mg/g at the operation voltage of 1.2 V in 200 ppm CuSO4 solution and 200 ppm ZnSO4 solution, respectively.

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Acknowledgments

This research is funded by Vietnam National University, Ho Chi Minh City (VNU-HCM) under Grant No. 562-2020-18-06.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Vietnam National University Ho Chi Minh City (VNUHCM), Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

    Le Thanh Nguyen Huynh, Hoang Anh Nguyen, Hoang Vinh Pham, Thanh Nhut Tran, Thi Thanh Nguyen Ho, Tan Le Hoang Doan, Viet Hai Le & Thai Hoang Nguyen

  2. University of Science, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

    Le Thanh Nguyen Huynh, Hoang Anh Nguyen, Hoang Vinh Pham, Thanh Nhut Tran, Thi Thanh Nguyen Ho, Viet Hai Le & Thai Hoang Nguyen

  3. Center for Innovative Materials and Architectures, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

    Tan Le Hoang Doan

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  1. Le Thanh Nguyen Huynh
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Huynh, L.T.N., Nguyen, H.A., Pham, H.V. et al. Electrosorption of Cu(II) and Zn(II) in Capacitive Deionization by KOH Activation Coconut-Shell Activated Carbon. Arab J Sci Eng 48, 551–560 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13369-022-07305-3

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