Abstract
High-ring polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs, Benzo[b]fluorathene (BbFA), etc.) are difficult to biodegrade in the water environment. To address this issue, an innovative method for the preparation of MnO2 nanoflower/graphene oxide composite (MnO2 NF/GO) was proposed for adsorption removal of BbFA. The physicochemical properties of MnO2 NF/GO were characterized by SEM, TEM, XRD, and N2 adsorption/desorption and XPS techniques. Results show that the MnO2 NF/GO had well-developed specific surface area and functional groups. Batch adsorption experiment results showed that adsorption capacity for BbFA was 74.07 mg/g. The pseudo-second-order kinetic model and Freundlich isotherm model are fitted well to the adsorption data. These show electron-donor-acceptor interaction; especially π-π interaction and π complexation played vital roles in BbFA removal onto MnO2 NF/GO. The study highlights the promising potential adsorbent for removal of PAHs.
Highlights
Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) refer to aromatic hydrocarbons containing two or more benzene rings which are formed by the incomplete combustion or pyrolysis of fossil fuels such as coal, oil and natural gas, wood, paper, and other hydrocarbons under reduced conditions [1]
The diffractogram peak at 2θ the value of 23.5 in MnO2 NF/graphene oxide (GO) composites is attributed to the amorphous carbon with low graphitization, corresponding to the highly ordered laminar structure with an interlayer distance of 0.34 nm along with the (002) orientation [28]
The ratio of Mn-O-Mn/Mn-O-H was 4.05 based on the peak area ratios calculation results. These findings suggest that Mn primarily exists in the oxide form (MnO2) on the MnO2 NF/GO composites, consistent with experimental expectations
Summary
Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) refer to aromatic hydrocarbons containing two or more benzene rings which are formed by the incomplete combustion or pyrolysis of fossil fuels such as coal, oil and natural gas, wood, paper, and other hydrocarbons under reduced conditions [1]. Many different techniques, such as liquid-phase adsorption, photocatalytic degradation, bioremediation, and electrochemical remediation, have been extensively investigated in treating PAH-contaminated water environments in wastewater reclamation [6,7,8,9]. Adsorption technology seems to be a potential method for PAH control due to its selectivity, low operating cost, affordability, simplicity, high efficiency, and the adsorbent reusability [10,11]. Kumar et al used pyrolysis-assisted potassium hydroxide-induced palm shell activated carbon to remove PAHs from aqueous solution and the maximum adsorption capacity was 131.7 mg/g [12]. Bhadra et al proved the adsorption capacity of MOF-derived carbons on naphthalene (237 mg/g), anthracene (284 mg/g), and pyrene (307 mg/g) [13]
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