Low-temperature Activity Research Articles

Advancements in cobalt‐based oxide catalysts for soot oxidation: Enhancing catalytic performance through modification and morphology control

AbstractThe widespread use of diesel engines results in significant environmental contamination due to emitted pollutants, particularly soot particles. These pollutants are detrimental to public health. At present, one of the most effective ways to remove soot particles is the catalytic diesel particulate filter after‐treatment technology, which requires the catalyst to have superior low temperature activity. Compared with cerium oxide which is widely used, cobalt oxide in transition metal oxides has been widely studied in recent years because of its high redox ability and easy to control morphology. This paper elaborates on the influence of modification techniques such as doping, loading, and solid solution on the catalytic performance of cobalt‐based catalysts in soot oxidation. Along the same lines, it further reviews the research progress on cobalt‐based oxide catalysts with specific dimensional structures and morphologies in soot oxidation. Finally, it provides an outlook on the challenges faced by the theoretical basis and applied research of cobalt‐based catalysts in soot oxidation.

Thallium enrichment mechanism and geological significance of the Xiangquan thallium deposit in Anhui Province, China

The discovery of the independent thallium (Tl) deposit in Xiangquan, Anhui Province, provides an example for the study of the enrichment and mineralization of the highly dispersed rare metal element Tl. In this paper, a range of methods are used to characterize the enrichment, depletion, migration and occurrence state of Tl in different types of rocks and ores: lithogeochemistry; electron microprobe and principal component analysis; and exploring the significance of geochemical anomalies on the geological indication of Tl deposit formation. The results show that Tl is mainly distributed in silicified rocks of the Ordovician Lunshan Formation, and its average content is 307.08 μ g g –1 . The contents of As, Sb, S, Fe 2 O 3 and Tl in wall rocks, altered rocks and ores are significantly correlated, indicating a close relationship with Tl accumulation. The geochemical characteristics confirm that pyrite in the study area originates from submarine hot-water deposition. The main carrier of Tl is pyrite of hydrothermal sedimentary origin, in which Tl occurs as isomorphs in fine grains of pyrite. Tl mineralization may be accompanied by silicification, and the metallogenic environment is in a relative oxidation state. The mineralization process results in the geochemical differentiation of elements. Under the influence of tectonic and low-temperature hydrothermal activities, ore-forming elements migrate to structurally favourable conditions for mineralization to occur. This study provides a basis for further understanding the mechanisms of co-enrichment and separation of Tl and guidance for Tl mineral exploration.

Study on recovering the scattered metals from coal gangue by low-temperature activation and two-stage selective leaching

As metal deposits are developed on a large scale and at high intensity, the strategic metals under “protective measures” will inevitably face resource depletion. It becomes particularly important to sustainably and stably maintain the supply of strategic metals. A method is proposed to selectively extract Li and Ga from coal gangue through a process of ammonium sulfate roasting followed by stepwise leaching. Li and Ga in coal gangue are converted into metal sulfates or ammonium sulfates through low-temperature roasting, and then selectively extracted through a water-acid combined stepwise leaching process. Under the conditions of 450 °C and 2 h, with a coal gangue to ammonium sulfate ratio of 1:2.5, the leaching rates of lithium and gallium reach 88.35 % and 90.28 %, respectively. During the roasting process, ammonium sulfate decomposes into ammonium hydrogen sulfate, which enters the core through the pores of gangue and reacts with kaolinite to enhance activation. Li is converted into lithium sulfate ammonium and extracted through aqueous solution leaching, while metal gallium is first converted into gallium sulfate ammonium and then, with increasing temperature, into ammonium sulfate and extracted through dilute acid leaching.

Metals doping effect of perovskite–type La-Mn oxides for NH3-SCR reaction at low temperature

Doping of perovskites with the heteroatoms has emerged as an additional lever, a dimension beyond structural perfection and compositional distinction, for the alteration of many properties of perovskites. In this work, a series of different metals were doped via citric acid sol–gel method to investigate their influences on the structure and catalytic performance of La-Mn perovskite oxides for NH3-SCR reaction. It is found that Zr doped La-Mn oxides (LMZr) displays better low-temperature deNOx performance (T90 = 118 °C) than other metal doped catalysts. Such a result is mainly attributed to the increase of Lewis acid sites, surface Mn4+ and adsorbed oxygen species. Besides, La-Mn perovskite doped with Sr, Ce, Y and Al can also obviously improve low-temperature deNOx activity and N2 selectivity. These doped metals mainly change the electron transfer between different cations, thus changing the valence distribution of Mn on the surface, meanwhile, metal doping changes the crystalline size of the catalysts, thereby affecting the adsorption and activation of NH3 and O2 involved in the removal of NO. Although other metal doping alters the tolerance of the La-Mn catalyst to SO2 and/or H2O, SO2 is inevitably oxidized to S6+ and deposits on the catalyst surface. Zr or Ce doping significantly enhances the tolerance to SO2 and/or H2O, but they have a different mechanism. Zr reduces the deposition rate of sulfate while Ce reacts with SO2 to form Ce2(SOx)3 to protect Mn active species. This paper highlights the importance of Lewis acid, Mn4+ content and adsorbed oxygen in the NH3-SCR reaction.

Facet-Dependent Diversity of Pt-O Coordination for Pt1/CeO2 Catalysts Achieved by Oriented Atomic Deposition.

The surface chemistry of CeO2 is dictated by the well-defined facets, which exert great influence on the supported metal species and the catalytic performance. Here we report Pt1/CeO2 catalysts exhibiting specific structures of Pt-O coordination on different facets by using adequate preparation methods. The simple impregnation method results in Pt-O3 coordination on the predominantly exposed {111} facets, while the photo-deposition method achieves oriented atomic deposition for Pt-O4 coordination into the "nano-pocket" structure of {100} facets at the top. Compared to the impregnated Pt1/CeO2 catalyst showing normal redox properties and low-temperature activity for CO oxidation, the photo-deposited Pt1/CeO2 exhibits uncustomary strong metal-support interaction and extraordinary high-temperature stability. The preparation methods dictate the facet-dependent diversity of Pt-O coordination, resulting in the further activity-selectivity trade-off. By applying specific preparation routes, our work provides an example of disentangling the effects of support facets and coordination environments for nano-catalysts.

Research progress of Mn-based low-temperature SCR denitrification catalysts.

Selective catalytic reduction (SCR) is a efficiently nitrogen oxides removal technology from stationary source flue gases. Catalysts are key component in the technology, but currently face problems including poor low-temperature activity, narrow temperature windows, low selectivity, and susceptibility to water passivation and sulphur dioxide poisoning. To develop high-efficiency low-temperature denitrification activity catalyst, manganese-based catalysts have become a focal point of research globally for low-temperature SCR denitrification catalysts. This article investigates the denitrification efficiency of unsupported manganese-based catalysts, exploring the influence of oxidation valence, preparation method, crystallinity, crystal form, and morphology structure. It examines the catalytic performance of binary and multicomponent unsupported manganese-based catalysts, focusing on the use of transition metals and rare earth metals to modify manganese oxide. Furthermore, the synergistic effect of supported manganese-based catalysts is studied, considering metal oxides, molecular sieves, carbon materials, and other materials (composite carriers and inorganic non-metallic minerals) as supports. The reaction mechanism of low-temperature denitrification by manganese-based catalysts and the mechanism of sulphur dioxide/water poisoning are analysed in detail, and the development of practical and efficient manganese-based catalysts is considered.

Viscosity Reduction of Heavy Oil Based on Rice Husk Char-Based Nanocatalysts of NiO/Fe2O3

In recent years, catalytic hydrothermal cracking has gained significant attention as an effective technology for reducing the viscosity of heavy oil in the field of heavy oil recovery. However, the current catalyst temperature window is relatively high, leading to high energy consumption in heavy oil extraction. The development of catalysts that can effectively reduce the viscosity of heavy oil at low temperatures is important to reduce energy consumption in the thermal recovery process of heavy oil. Biochar-based catalysts exhibit good low-temperature activity. Therefore, this study used modified rice husk char as a carrier to develop NiO-RHC, Fe2O3-RHC, and NiO/Fe2O3-RHC catalysts, and investigated their performance in low-temperature catalytic viscosity reduction. Various methods were used to characterize the physical and chemical properties of the catalysts, and the effects of catalyst type and addition amounts on the catalytic viscosity reduction reaction were examined. The results showed that the catalytic performance of the dual-active component catalyst was better than that of NiO-RHC and Fe2O3-RHC. Under the catalysis of NiO/Fe2O3-RHC, the viscosity of heavy oil decreased by 81.81%. As the catalyst addition amounts increased, the viscosity reduction rate of heavy oil also increased. The optimal catalyst addition amount was 1.00wt.%, and the heavy component content in the oil sample was reduced by 4.14% after the catalytic reaction. Finally, the mechanism of heavy oil viscosity reduction was analyzed. It was found that the breaking of C-S bonds was a significant factor in reducing heavy oil viscosity, and the S in H2S mainly came from thioether and sulfoxide sulfur. This study provides valuable references for further research on low-temperature viscosity reduction in heavy oil.

Highly efficient Fe-Cu/CL catalysts based on low-cost clay minerals for NH3-SCR of NOx at low temperature

One of the main challenges for NH3-SCR of NOx at low temperatures is developing a catalyst with exceptional low-temperature catalytic activity. Herein, four kinds of clay minerals including halloysite (Hte), Ca-montmorillonite (Ca-Mte), chlorite (Cte), and Na-montmorillonite (Na-Mte) were used as supports and impregnated with Fe and Cu to synthesize Fe-Cu/Hte, Fe-Cu/Ca-Mte, Fe-Cu/Cte, and Fe-Cu/Na-Mte catalysts, respectively. Within a temperature range of 180–240 °C, the resultant Fe-Cu/Hte catalyst produced more than 98 % NOx conversion and demonstrated the best low-temperature NH3-SCR catalytic performance. The characterization results indicated that the weakened crystallinity of active species, high ratios of Fe3+/Fe and Cu+/Cu, and more surface absorbed oxygen species, as well as excellent low-temperature redox ability and surface acidity all contributed to its outstanding low-temperature catalytic activity. The in situ DRIFT study at 240 ℃ showed that two forms of the Eley-Rideal (E-R) mechanism existed on the Fe-Cu/Hte and Fe-Cu/Cte catalysts, while the E-R and Langmuir-Hinshelwood (L-H) processes were both involved over the Fe-Cu/Ca-Mte and Fe-Cu/Na-Mte catalysts.

Comparing low-temperature NH3-SCR activity, operating temperature window and kinetic properties of the Mn-Fe-Nb/TiO2 catalysts prepared by different methods

In order to overcome the shortcomings of traditional V-based catalysts, such as poor low-temperature activity, narrow temperature window, and toxicity. Therefore, the Mn-Fe-Nb/TiO2 catalysts were prepared using impregnation (IM), citric acid complexation (CA), co-precipitation (CP), hydrothermal synthesis (HY), and sol–gel (SG) methods to develop novel NH3 selective catalytic reduction (NH3-SCR) catalysts with excellent low-temperature activity, a wide temperature window, and environmental friendliness. Their NH3-SCR catalytic activity was evaluated, followed by a detailed analysis of their morphology, structure, specific surface area, chemical state, redox properties, acidity, and interactions using X-ray diffraction (XRD), Bruaner-Emmet-Teller (BET), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), High Resolution Transmission Electron Microscopy (HR-TEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), H2 temperature-programmed reduction (H2-TPR), NH3 temperature-programmed desorption (NH3-TPD), and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) techniques. The 5Mn-7Fe-4Nb/TiO2-SG catalyst, prepared via sol–gel, exhibited the highest denitrification (de-NOx) activity and the widest operating temperature window, achieving over 80% Nitric oxide (NO) conversion at 180–350 °C and a peak conversion of 97% at 250 °C. The XRD, BET, SEM, and HR-TEM characterization results showed that the catalyst prepared using the sol–gel method had the smallest particles, the highest specific surface area, and the greatest dispersion. XPS and NH3-TPD results revealed that the catalyst prepared using the sol–gel method possessed the highest surface adsorbed oxygen (Oα) content and the largest number of acidic sites. H2-TPR and FTIR analyses indicated that the catalyst prepared using the sol–gel method enhanced the reduction capacity and possessed the strongest interaction forces among support-active-promoter components. Steady-state kinetic tests confirmed that in the NH3-SCR reaction, the rate-determining step was the adsorption activation of NO on the catalyst surface. The sol–gel method reduced the activation energy for de-NOx reactions, enhancing the low-temperature activity of the catalyst.

Recent Progress on Low-Temperature Selective Catalytic Reduction of NOx with Ammonia.

Selective catalytic reduction of nitrogen oxides (NOx) with ammonia (NH3-SCR) has been implemented in response to the regulation of NOx emissions from stationary and mobile sources above 300 °C. However, the development of NH3-SCR catalysts active at low temperatures below 200 °C is still needed to improve the energy efficiency and to cope with various fuels. In this review article, recent reports on low-temperature NH3-SCR catalysts are systematically summarized. The redox property as well as the surface acidity are two main factors that affect the catalytic activity. The strong redox property is beneficial for the low-temperature NH3-SCR activity but is responsible for N2O formation. The multiple electron transfer system is more plausible for controlling redox properties. H2O and SOx, which are often found with NOx in flue gas, have a detrimental effect on NH3-SCR activity, especially at low temperatures. The competitive adsorption of H2O can be minimized by enhancing the hydrophobic property of the catalyst. Various strategies to improve the resistance to SOx poisoning are also discussed.

<i>Solanum tuberosum</i> L. phytoene synthase genes (<i>StPSY1, StPSY2, StPSY3</i>) participate in the potato plant’s response to cold stress

The structure and phylogeny of the genes StPSY1, StPSY2 and StPSY3, encoding phytoene synthases from Solanum tuberosum L., were characterized. The expression of these genes in potato seedlings was studied in response to exposure to cold stress in the dark phase of the diurnal cycle as an imitation of night cooling. It was found that all three genes are activated when the temperature decreases, and the greatest response is observed for StPSY1. The response of the StPSY3 gene to cold stress and photoperiod has been demonstrated for the first time. A search was carried out for cis-regulatory elements in the promoter region and 5´-UTR of the StPSY genes and it was shown that the regulation of all three genes is associated with the response to light. The high level of low-temperature activation of the StPSY1 gene may be associated with the presence of cis-elements associated with sensitivity to cold and ABA.

Highly efficient Co-added Ni/CeO2 catalyst for co-production of hydrogen and carbon nanotubes by methane decomposition

The catalytic decomposition of methane (CDM) is a hydrogen and nanostructured carbon production process with minimal CO2 emission. Among the transition metal-based catalysts (e.g. Ni, Fe, Co, etc.), Ni-based catalysts are most widely studied due to the higher catalytic activity in decomposing methane. However, the limited lifespan of the catalyst makes it unsuitable for practical applications. Effective methane decomposition catalysts should be designed to optimize both reaction efficiency and catalyst lifetime. A Ni/CeO2 catalyst, developed in previous studies, Co was added to promote low-temperature (< 700 °C) activity manipulating the redox property of Co. Among the prepared catalysts with varying Ni:Co ratio, the methane conversion rate of the Ni8Co2/CeO2 catalyst was approximately twice that of the Ni10/CeO2 catalyst, confirming its excellent low-temperature activity. The reaction rate of Ni8Co2/CeO2 catalyst was 4.38 mmol/min∙gcat at 600 °C with WHSV of 36 L/gcat∙h. In terms of characteristics of carbon products, Raman spectroscopy analysis revealed that the carbon grown on the catalyst surface exhibited high crystallinity, with D-G band ratio (ID/IG) of 1.01. The fresh and used catalyst samples were characterized by TEM, XPS, XAS, and other methods to analyze the parameters affecting catalytic activity.

Unveiling the promoting mechanism of Mo on the performance of CuCeOx catalyst for simultaneously NH3-SCR denitration and CO oxidation under oxygen-rich conditions

NOx and CO coexisted in numerous actual industrial flue gases. The simultaneous removal of NOx and CO had great potential for application but remained still a challenge. Herein, a series of Mo-modified CuCeOx catalyst was developed to simultaneously achieve NH3-SCR denitration and CO oxidation. The results indicated that the CCM3 catalyst displayed the optimal performance with 91.2 % NOx conversion and 100 % CO conversion as well as excellent long-time stability and SO2 or/and H2O tolerance at 225 ℃. It was found that the strong interaction between Cu, Ce and Mo oxides resulted in the particles highly dispersed with smaller size on catalyst surface, which could provide abundant active sites to decreasing the competitive adsorption among reactive gases. Furthermore, the Mo modification promoted the production of more oxygen vacancies, Ce3+ and Oα species, which facilitated the redox recycle and the generation of intermediates. Moreover, the H2-TPR and NH3/CO/O2-TPD analysis illustrated that the reducibility and the capacity for reaction gas adsorption and activation were enhanced, which improved low-temperature activity. The in situ DRIFTS experiment revealed that the E-R and L-H mechanism were existed in NH3-SCR process on CC and CCM3 catalysts. What’s more, the stronger acidity and strengthened E-R mechanism on CCM3 catalyst hindered the adsorption of SO2 and weakened the inhibition effect of competitive adsorption among SO2 and NO. Additionally, both surface lattice oxygen and chemisorbed oxygen could react with Cu+–CO species to produce CO2, the pathway obeyed L-H and MvK mechanism. This work may provide a novel strategy for the treatment of CO and NOx pollutants in industrial flue gas.

In-situ formed stable Pt nanoclusters on ceria-zirconia solid solutions induced by hydrothermal aging for efficient low-temperature CO oxidation

Pt nanoclusters (PtC) on the surface of ceria-zirconia solid solutions exhibit superior low-temperature CO oxidation activity compared to Pt single atoms (Pt1). However, the redispersion behavior of the PtC to Pt1 lowers the efficiency of CO Oxidation. In this work, the stable surface hydroxyl groups were constructed by high-temperature hydrothermal aging treatment. Specifically, the Pt1 catalyst (Pt/CZOe-SA) prepared by atom trapping was subjected to high-temperature hydrothermal treatment to obtain the stable PtC catalyst (Pt/CZOe-HT) with in-situ formed PtC. The experimental results showed that PtC with 2–3 nm size could achieve excellent low-temperature activity and thermal stability. In addition, the ab initio molecular dynamics and density functional theory calculations revealed the specific evolution process of dynamic dispersion for PtC with or without hydroxyl groups from the femtosecond scale, suggesting that the hydroxyl groups limited the dispersion of PtC in the form of “energy fence”. The hydrothermal treatment not only introduced high-temperature stable hydroxyl groups to improve the stability of the in-situ formed PtC, but also optimized the ratio of Pt1 and PtC, and then enhanced the low-temperature activity by the synergistic effect between Pt1 and PtC. The present work can provide theoretical guidance for developing high-performance and high-stability Pt-based catalysts.

Microenvironment and electronic state modulation of Pd nanoparticles within MOFs for enhancing low-temperature activity towards DCPD hydrogenation

Microenvironment and electronic state modulation of Pd nanoparticles within MOFs for enhancing low-temperature activity towards DCPD hydrogenation

Effect of promoters on the performance of CuNi catalysts for hydrogen production from methanol decomposition

Abstract Utilizing the exhaust heat from engines to decompose methanol for hydrogen production, and subsequently introducing this hydrogen into the combustion chamber, is one of the crucial approaches for achieving energy savings and emission reductions. The role of an efficient and stable catalyst for methanol decomposition is paramount in this application. Therefore, CuNi-based catalysts modified with promoters such as Zr, La, Mn, and Mg were prepared using a stepwise impregnation method. The developed catalysts were tested using various analytical methods and characterization techniques. The results indicate that the addition of the Zr enhances the dispersion of active components, improves the catalyst’s reducibility. This, in turn, enhances the catalyst’s activity and hydrogen selectivity. The hydrogen yield of the Zr modified catalyst increased by an average of 12% compared to the original catalyst. Furthermore, the Zr modified catalyst exhibits exceptional stability after prolonged use. La can enhance the low-temperature activity of the catalyst but performs poorly at high temperatures. The promoter Mn has a minimal impact on the overall performance of the catalyst. Conversely, the addition of Mg as a promoter inhibits the dispersion of active components, resulting in adverse effects on the catalyst.

Enhanced low-temperature catalytic activity and stability in methane combustion of Pd−CeO2 nanowires@SiO2 by Pt dispersion

The long-standing contradiction between low-temperature activity and high-temperature stability is one of the difficulties in catalytic combustion of low-concentration methane. The traditional Pd−CeO2 catalyst system has been applied to the oxidation of methane with low concentrations. However, the problem of sintering at high temperatures still exists. In this work, we prepared the Pt-modified Pd−CeO2 nanowires (NW) sample (in which the actual Pt, Pd, and Ce contents were 0.12, 0.86, and 9.8 wt%, respectively) using the one-pot reverse-micelle emulsion method. It was found that Pt-Pd−CeO2NW@SiO2 showed the highest low-temperature catalytic activity at a space velocity of 20,000 mL/(g h) and the best water resistance and high-temperature stability in the combustion of methane. The T50 % and T90 % (the temperatures for achieving methane conversions of 50 and 90 %) were 298 and 342 ℃, respectively, methane reaction rate at 270 ℃ was 0.49 μmol/(gcat s), and turnover frequency (TOF) at 270 °C was 0.198 s−1 over Pt-Pd−CeO2NW@SiO2; whereas over Pd−CeO2NW@SiO2 (in which the actual Pd and Ce contents were 0.82 and 10.6 wt%, respectively), the T50 % and T90 % were 360 and 420 ℃, respectively, methane reaction rate at 270 ℃ was 0.074 μmol/(gcat s), and TOF at 270 °C was 0.032 s−1. The introduction of the highly dispersed Pt to Pd−CeO2NW@SiO2 could effectively increase the PdOx sites of unsaturated coordination through the electron-donating interaction of the Pt with PdO, which played an important role in activating the C−H bonds in methane. In addition, the unique structure of encapsulation also rendered the Pt-Pd−CeO2NW@SiO2 sample to possess good water resistance and thermal stability in methane combustion. We are sure that the present work provides a possibility for developing the catalysts with stable catalytic and water-resistant performance at low and high temperatures in the combustion of methane.

Synergistic effect of Cerium and Niobium enhances the low-temperature NH3-SCR activity of Fe-containing solid waste

To develop environment-friendly low temperature NH3-SCR catalyst and realize the resource utilization of industrial solid waste, this research prepared a series NH3-SCR catalysts by using Fe-containing solid waste loading CeO2 and Nb2O5. It was found that the Ce2Nb1/Fe-Si catalyst exhibited the highest NH3-SCR activity, reaching about 93 % NOx conversion and 99 % N2 selectivity at 300 °C due to the synergistic effect between Ce and Nb species. The characterization results showed that the interaction between Ce and Nb was stronger than that between Nb and Fe species, promoting the NH3 adsorption and redox cycle of Ce4+ + Nb4+ ↔ Ce3+ + Nb5+, Ce3+ + Fe3+ ↔ Fe2+ + Ce4+, which increased the contents of Fe2+ and surface adsorbed oxygen. Moreover, the co-existence of Ce and Nb species would increase the NOx adsorption ability and promote the oxidation of NO to NO2, which was beneficial for “Fast SCR” reaction. Finally, the introduction of CeO2 and Nb2O5 did not changed the reaction mechanism, followed by a Langmuir-Hinshelwood mechanism.

Unveiling key impact parameters and mechanistic insights towards activated biochar performance for carbon dioxide reduction

Chemically activated biochar is effective in supercapacitors and water splitting, but low conductivity hinders its application as a carbon support in carbon dioxide reduction reaction (CO2RR). Based on the observed CO2RR performance from potassium hydroxide (KOH)-activated biochar, increased microporosity was hypothesized to enhance the performance, leading to selection of potassium carbonate (K2CO3) for activation. K2CO3 activation at 600℃ increased microporosity significantly, yielding a total Faradaic efficiency of 72%, compared to 60% with KOH at 800℃. Further refinement of thermal ramping rate enriched micropore content, directly boosting FEC to 82%. Additionally, K2CO3′s lower activation temperature could preserve hydroxyl groups to improve ethylene selectivity. These findings demonstrate that optimizing microporosity and surface chemistry is critical for designing activated biochar-based CO2RR electrocatalysts. Despite lower electrical conductivity of activated biochar, selecting the appropriate activating agents and conditions can make it a viable alternative to carbon black-based electrocatalysts.

Modeling 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid adsorption on candle bush pod-derived activated carbon: Insights from advanced statistical physics models

The widespread usage of 2,4-Dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D) as an herbicide has led to alarming levels of environmental pollution, presenting severe risks to ecosystems and human health. This study aimed to synthesize a new adsorbent, activated carbon from candle bush pods (CBAC) via low-temperature phosphoric acid activation and investigate its ability for adsorptive elimination of 2,4-D. The setup of a new adsorption system requires the experimental determination of adsorption isotherms and their thorough modeling, which is achieved through advanced statistical physics models (ASPMs). The characterization of CBAC revealed a porous morphology with a remarkable specific surface area (415.31 m2/g). XRD revealed graphitic carbon structures, while XPS detected phosphate groups, graphitic structures, and oxygen-containing functional groups. Double layer with single energy (DLSE) model – one of the ASPMs revealed both non-parallel and parallel orientation of 2,4-D molecules on CBAC, with saturation adsorption capacity values increasing with temperature (up to 252.35 mg/g) at pH 2. The adsorption was physisorption (ΔE = 12.62–16.26 kJ/mol) and spontaneous and endothermic. Hence, the findings herein demonstrate the potential of CBAC as a sustainable and effective adsorbent for mitigating environmental pollution caused by 2,4-D.