Spherical activated carbon modified by polymerized ionic liquid for the removal of ibuprofen from water

Abstract

AbstractBACKGROUNDThe adsorption capacity of activated carbon has been found to improve through modification with ionic liquids. However, ionic liquids tend to separate from the activated carbon when exposed to water even for a relatively short period.RESULTSCharacterization of spherical activated carbon (SAC) modified with poly(1‐vinyl‐3‐butylimidazolium hexafluorophosphate) (PIL) showed that 1‐vinyl‐3‐butylimidazolium hexafluorophosphate (IL) was adsorbed and polymerized on SAC. Stability studies of PIL‐SAC in water demonstrated that it was more stable against IL desorption in water than the non‐polymerized IL‐SAC. The adsorption data showed that the modification improved the adsorption capacity of SAC at least 2‐fold. The results also indicated that although the pH and ionic strength of the solution played a significant role in the adsorption process, there was no significant influence on the adsorption capacity. Moreover, PIL‐SAC could be reused at least five times with only minor losses in its adsorption capacity.CONCLUSIONThe activated carbon modified with PIL produces a remarkable increase in the ibuprofen adsorption capacity and strongly decreases undesirable desorption of ionic liquids. © 2015 Society of Chemical Industry