Sorption of Selected Organic Compounds in Two Black Carbon Particles

Abstract

Black carbons (BCs) have been reported to exhibit an extremely strong sorption of organic compounds in the environment. The basic physicochemical properties of two selected black carbons characterized and showed mainly non-polar. The polarity of BC1 was slightly higher than BC2. Sorption coefficients of selected organic compounds on two BCs were investigated by a reversed-phase liquid chromatography (RP-LC) method. Sorption coefficients of organic chemicals on BC1 were larger than those on BC2 because BC1 had more surface area. Normalized surface area sorption coefficients of BC2 were larger than those of BC1, indicating that not only surface area but surface heterogeneity is also responsible for the resulting sorption capacity. By the regression of the sorption coefficients of organic compounds on these black carbons with the properties of organic compounds, two linear solvation energy relationship (LSER) equations were obtained. The main interactions involved in the adsorption process are generally London dispersion forces and π- and n- pair electron interactions. These LSERs can facilitate to predict the adsorption coefficients and evaluate the sorption mechanism of organic contaminants on black carbons through the molecular properties of sorbates and sorbents.