Facile preparation of floatable high surface area activated carbon monolith from waste printing paper and coal tar pitch

Abstract

Floatable activated carbon (AC) monoliths were fabricated from waste printing paper (WPP) using a facile method. Coal tar pitch (CTP) and K2CO3 were adopted as the additive and activation agent, respectively. The AC monolith was characterized by N2-adsorption/desorption, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and Raman spectroscopy. The adsorption isotherms of methylene blue by the AC monolith were also investigated. The experimental data demonstrated that the product had a high surface area up to 2007 m2 g−1 and a total pore volume of 1.207 cm3 g−1. The addition of CTP led to a higher mechanical rigidity and the formation of more micropores compared with the single WPP. Also, the AC monolith had a more developed aromatic structure caused by adding CTP. The adsorption equilibrium data followed Langmuir model with a high monolayer adsorption capacity up to 699 mg g−1. This study provides a reference for the utilization of WPP as a promising precursor of floatable AC monolith, which has the potential to be used as a high-performance and easy-separation adsorbent due to its high surface area and excellent floatability.