Research Progress on the Preparation of Graphene/activated Carbon Composites and Its Application on BPA and IBP Adsorption from Water

Technology R & D and Application Demonstration

15 09, 2022

Recently, the Project entitled “Technology R & D and Application Demonstration for Sustainable Development of Biomass Waste Recycling in Southeast Asian Countries”, supported by ANSO, has made substantial progress on the preparation of graphene/activated carbon composites and its application on BPA and IBP adsorption from water.

The project was led by Prof. WANG Yin of the Institute of Urban Environment, CAS. The research article entitled “Simultaneous removal of ibuprofen and bisphenol A from aqueous solution by an enhanced cross-linked activated carbon and reduced graphene oxide composite” was published online on July 15, 2022 by Separation and Purification Technology.

The green cross-linking regent could enhance the linkage of activated carbon and graphene oxide,

moreover, this composite greatly enhanced adsorption affinity for BPA and IBP

With the development of social economy, water safety issues of residents in Southeast Asian countries and regions have attracted more and more attention. Emerging pollutants such as pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs), endocrine disruptors (EDCs), etc., have been founded in the environment, and have attracted much attention due to their high biological activity and toxicity. However, there is a lack of low-cost, decentralized water purification measures in Southeast Asian countries and regions. Therefore, it is indispensable to develop a new technology for high-efficiency water purification. Among several removal technologies, adsorption method has been widely concerned and applied due to its advantages of low operating cost and environmental friendliness.

Due to the advantages of huge specific surface area, surface hydrophobicity, and π-π interaction, the preparation and application of activated carbon/graphene (AC/RGO) composites have become one of the research hotspots. However, the composite material also faces the problems of complicated preparation process, use of toxic chemical reagents, and high cost. In addition, there are relatively few studies on the interface adsorption mechanism between AC/RGO composites and emerging pollutants in water, especially the lack of specific research reports of representative emerging pollutants such as bisphenol A (BPA) and ibuprofen (IBP) with high detection rate.

Under the international cooperation framework of ANSO and its support for the project, Prof. WANG Yin’s team built strong collaboration with Ivan Ho Bee from Malaysia Biomass Industries Confederation, Prof. Daniel Tan Lee Tung from Association of Bioeconomy Community Development Sabah, Prof. Hasmah Mohidin from University Teknologi Mara Srawak Branch Samarahan Campus, General Manager Yuhong Zhang from PTFUHAIINDUSTRIAL ESTATE. The project demonstrated that green and cheap linking agents can realize the efficient and controllable composite of activated carbon and graphene oxide. The AC/RGO composites were controllably fabricated by oxygen-limited heat treatment. This method has the characteristics of low linking agent usage, excellent linking effect, low graphene loss, no toxic chemical reagents, and easy amplification.

The project also found that under normal temperature and neutral conditions, the adsorption affinity of AC/RGO composite for BPA and IBP was increased by 1.42 times and 4.09 times, respectively, compared with AC, and the ability to resist other common coexisting ions was strong, and the regeneration ability was excellent. After loading graphene, the adsorption process and behavior of BPA and IBP by the composite was altered. The adsorption force was mainly hydrophobic and electrostatic interactions.

This project not only provides new ideas for solving the problems faced by AC/RGO, and reveals the interface reaction mechanism of BPA and IBP molecules, but also provides a new technical route for decentralized water purification in Southeast Asian countries and regions.

Citation:

Pamphile Ndagijimana, Xuejiao Liu*, Qingxin Xu, Zhiwei Li, Beibei Pan, Yin. Wang*, Simultaneous removal of ibuprofen and bisphenol A from aqueous solution by an enhanced cross-linked activated carbon and reduced graphene oxide composite, Separation and Purification Technology. 2022, (299), 121681. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.seppur.2022.121681

Source: Prof. WANG Yin, Institute of Urban Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences