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Demineralization of sludge‐based adsorbent by post‐washing for development of porosity and removal of dyes
Author(s) -
Kong Lingjun,
Tian ShuangHong,
Luo Rongshu,
Liu Wei,
Tu YuTing,
Xiong Ya
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
journal of chemical technology and biotechnology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.64
H-Index - 117
eISSN - 1097-4660
pISSN - 0268-2575
DOI - 10.1002/jctb.3989
Subject(s) - demineralization , chemistry , hydrochloric acid , adsorption , citric acid , nuclear chemistry , porosity , methylene blue , chelation , inorganic chemistry , organic chemistry , photocatalysis , catalysis , materials science , enamel paint , composite material
Abstract Background There is growing interest in employing sludge‐based carbons ( SC ) from waste treatment as adsorbents. However, the application of SC is limited by its poor porosity caused by large amounts of minerals blocking the pores. It is thus, highly desirable to develop a post‐washing process to remove the minerals in SC . Results In this paper, SC was washed with deionized water ( DW ), hydrochloric acid ( HCl ), citric acid ( CA ) and a mixed solution of hydrochloric acid and citric acid ( HCl‐CA ), respectively. Results showed that HCl‐CA washing had the highest demineralization efficiency (63%), so that HCl‐CA washed SC had the lowest ash content (32%) and largest total pore volume (0.455 m 3 g ‐1 ), and presented the highest adsorption capacities of 319 mg g ‐1 for acid orange II ( AOII ) and 250 mg g ‐1 for methylene blue ( MB ) . Conclusion HCl‐CA washing has the highest demineralization efficiency. The high efficiency is attributed to the synergetic effects of both protonation and chelation. Demineralization has a strong influence on the development of pore structures, which further influences adsorption capacity. © 2012 Society of Chemical Industry