Session: Government Agency Student Posters

Paper Number: 173833

Characteristics of Carbon-Based Adsorbents and Their Prospects in Removing Microplastics From Wastewater. 

Microplastics (MPs) are steadily growing in abundance and toxicity in the environment. These MPs are able to escape filtration within wastewater treatment facilities because of their buoyancy or small size. To counteract this, this study analyzes the characteristics of  carbon-based adsorbents (CBAs) for use as filters in wastewater treatment facilities to diminish microplastic output into the environment. Each characteristic of these materials influences their adsorption efficiency, so it’s vital to examine characteristics and choose materials with the highest efficiency. For this study, a wide range of carbon based materials were used such as biochar at varying activation temperature, activated carbon felt (ACF) with different surface areas, granular activated carbon (GAC), and coal. Activated materials such as biochar were physically activated under N2 during warm up at a rate of 10o/m as well as CO2 for one hour at a flow rate of 2f3/hr. To test their characteristics, three methods are used: proximate analysis, surface analysis, and FT-IR. Proximate analysis is utilized to view the amount of moisture, ash, volatile matter, and carbon in a material and is tested using Lindenberg Blue M, Omega CN370, and Quincy Lab Model 40E Furnaces/Lab Ovens and the standard methods D3173/D3173M-17, D2867-09, D2866-11, D3174-12, D3175-20, and D5832-98. The tested samples showed vastly different amounts of carbon with 89.42% for coal and 62% for GAC. Literature shows that the carbon amount within GAC does not hinder its adsorption capacity, with efficiency rates typically about 89%. The surface characteristic shows the materials surface area and porosity details and is done using a Micromeritics VacPrep 061 and Tristar II PLUS; it could be seen with biochar that the surface area, micropore area, and pore diameter increased with higher activation temperatures of 750oC and 850oC. Biochar and ACF were both studied using Nicolet iS50 FT-IR to find the difference in functional groups between varying temperatures and surface areas, as the temperature increased for biochar there was a strong decrease in O-H as well as other functional groups. This study determined that the carbon percentage of CBAs is not as large of a factor as surface areas or functional groups, based on the characteristics of biochar in comparison to GAC. It also showed that biochar at higher temperatures or ACF at higher surface areas could pose as viable filters based on their surface area as well as functional group presence. Surface modifications, such as the additive of FeCl3, could show enhanced efficiency or characteristics as well. Adsorption capacity and kinetic tests should be done to examine the direct influence of the characteristics of these adsorbents.

Presenting Author: Elizabeth Alexander Troy University

Presenting Author Biography: Elizabeth Alexander is an undergraduate student attending Troy University for a bachelor's degree in physics with a minor in astronomy. Her research is directed towards material sciences, and she has attended 2 National Science Foundation (NSF) internships: the International Research Experience for undergraduate Students (IRES) and the University of South Alabama's REU site. She has been the president of the society of physics students (SPS) chapter of Troy University as well as the local Astronomy club for 2 years, and she is a member of the Sound of the South marching band. In the future, she wants to attend graduate school to obtain a PhD and continue doing research.

Authors:

Elizabeth Alexander Troy University
Madison Jefferson Mississippi State University
Nii Anuwa-Amarh University of South Alabama
Melike Dizbay-Onat University of South Alabama
Shenghua Wu University of South Alabama