Simultaneous Dual-Activation Nitrogen-Enriched carbon aerogel for efficient adsorption of tetracycline from water

Abstract

Aerogel materials are widely used for removing water pollutants due to their low density and three-dimensional porous structure. However, conventional aerogels still suffer from inadequate adsorption due to limited pore structure and functional groups. This study combined the benefits of efficient adsorption from porous carbon with the easy separation characteristics of aerogels. Using biomass-derived sodium alginate (SA) as precursor and a dual activation system of K2CO3 and melamine (MEL), we developed a macro nitrogen-enriched carbon aerogel (CAKN) with superior pore architecture and enriched surface functional groups, which realizes efficient adsorption of tetracycline (TC) and solves the problem of poor adsorption performance of aerogel materials. Results showed that CAKN prepared under optimal conditions reached a saturation adsorption capacity of 302.0 mg g−1, 2.7 folds of non-dual activated carbon aerogels (CA). This improvement stemmed from the dual activation of K2CO3 and MEL, resulting in more microporous and mesoporous structures and introducing nitrogenous groups that enhance the surface active sites. This study developed an environmentally friendly, interference-resistant, and regenerative strongly nitrogen-enriched carbon aerogel, and nitrogen doping demonstrates excellent performance, suggesting potential applications for other porous carbon modification strategies in aerogels.