Abstract
The effect of pyrolysis rate on the properties of alginic acid-derived carbonaceous materials, termed Starbon®, was investigated. Thermal Gravimetry-IR was used to prepare porous carbons up to 800°C at several rates and highlighted increased CO2 production at higher pyrolysis rates. N2 porosimetry of the resultant carbons shows how pyrolysis rate affects both the mesopore structure and thus surface area and surface energy. Surface capacity of these carbons was analysed by methylene blue dye adsorption. In general, as the rate of pyrolysis increased, the mesopore content and adsorbent capacity decreased. It is considered here that the rapid production of volatiles at these higher rates causes structural collapse of the non-templated pore network. The work here demonstrates that pyrolysis rate is a key variable which needs to be controlled to maximise the textural properties of Starbon® required for adsorption applications.
Highlights
Adsorption is the most common treatment employed by industry to clean process waste streams, with activated carbon the most widely used sorbent material in wastewater treatment [1]
This paper describes the effect of pyrolysis heating rate on the pore structure of alginic acid-derived Starbon® as well as the adsorption capabilities of the resultant materials
The main observations are the decrease in both desorption pore volume and average pore diameter, suggesting that there is a decline in mesoporosity as the rate of pyrolysis is increased
Summary
Adsorption is the most common treatment employed by industry to clean process waste streams, with activated carbon the most widely used sorbent material in wastewater treatment [1]. Alginic acid is a marine polysaccharide mainly produced by brown algae. It consists of -1,4-linked d-mannuronic acid and ␣1,4-linked l-guluronic acid residues arranged in homopolymeric blocks separated by regions of alternating sequences of the two monomers. Recent work has shown how pyrolysis of the aerogel leads to the formation of a mesoporous carbon material (termed Starbon®) with which adsorption and separations applications have been examined [6,7,8]. Maintaining the mesoporous structure of Starbon® is key to its performance as an adsorbent and separation medium and understanding the effect of pyrolysis on the aerogel structure is paramount in the development of a consistent porous carbon. This paper describes the effect of pyrolysis heating rate on the pore structure of alginic acid-derived Starbon® as well as the adsorption capabilities of the resultant materials
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