Insights into kinetics, thermodynamics, and mechanisms of chemically activated sunflower stem biochar for removal of phenol and bisphenol-A from wastewater

• Published in: Scientific reports Vol. 14; no. 1; p. 4267
• Main Authors: Lingamdinne, Lakshmi Prasanna, Angaru, Ganesh Kumar Reddy, Pal, Chandrika Ashwinikumar, Koduru, Janardhan Reddy, Karri, Rama Rao, Mubarak, Nabisab Mujawar, Chang, Yoon-Young
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London Nature Publishing Group UK 21-02-2024; Nature Publishing Group; Nature Portfolio
• Subjects: 639/301; 704/172; Activated carbon; Adsorbents; Adsorption; Biomass; Bisphenol A; Charcoal; Chemical engineering; Comparative analysis; Electrostatic properties; Helianthus; Humanities and Social Sciences; Hydrogen bonding; multidisciplinary; Phenol; Phenols; Pollutant removal; Pollution control; Pyrolysis; Science; Science (multidisciplinary); Sunflower stem; Synergistic effect; Water pollution; Water treatment; Bisphenol A; Phenol; Sunflower stem; Adsorption; Activated carbon
• ISSN: 2045-2322; 2045-2322
• DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-54907-y

This study synthesized a highly efficient KOH-treated sunflower stem activated carbon (KOH-SSAC) using a two-step pyrolysis process and chemical activation using KOH. The resulting material exhibited exceptional properties, such as a high specific surface area (452 m
2
/g) and excellent adsorption capacities for phenol (333.03 mg/g) and bisphenol A (BPA) (365.81 mg/g). The adsorption process was spontaneous and exothermic, benefiting from the synergistic effects of hydrogen bonding, electrostatic attraction, and stacking interactions. Comparative analysis also showed that KOH-SSAC performed approximately twice as well as sunflower stem biochar (SSB), indicating its potential for water treatment and pollutant removal applications. The study suggests the exploration of optimization strategies to further enhance the efficiency of KOH-SSAC in large-scale scenarios. These findings contribute to the development of improved materials for efficient water treatment and pollution control.