Ultra-high specific surface area activated carbon from Taihu cyanobacteria via KOH activation for enhanced methylene blue adsorption

Cyanobacteria-based activated carbon(CBAC)was successfully prepared by pyrolysis-activation of Taihu cyanobacteria.When the impregnation ratio and activated temperature were 2 and 800-C,respectively,the optimal CBACs possessed an ultra-high specific surface(2178.90 m^(2)·g^(-1))and plenty of micro-and meso-pores,as well as a high pore volume(1.01 cm^(3)·g^(-1)).Ascribed to ultra-high surface area,π-π interaction,electrostatic interaction,as well as hydrogen-bonding interactions,the CBACs displayed huge superiority in efficient dye removal.The saturated methylene blue adsorption capacity by CBACs could be as high as 1143.4 mg·g^(-1),superior to that of other reported biomass-activated carbons.The adsorption was endothermic and modeled well by the pseudo-second-order kinetic,intra-particle diffusion,and Langmuir models.This work presented the effectiveness of Taihu cyanobacteria adsorbent ascribed to its super large specific surface area and high adsorption ability.

Thermal pretreatment of willow branches impacts yield and pore development of activated carbon in subsequent activation with ZnCl_(2) via modifying cellulose structure

Development of pore structures of activated carbon(AC)from activation of biomass with ZnCl_(2) relies on content and structure of cellulose/hemicellulose in the feedstock.Thermal pretreatment of biomass could induce dehydration and/or aromatization to change the structure of cellulose/hemicellulose.This might interfere with evolution of structures of AC,which was investigated herein via thermal pretreatment of willow branch(WB)from 200 to 360℃and the subsequent activation with ZnCl_(2) at 550℃.The results showed that thermal pretreatment at 360℃(WB-360)could lead to substantial pyrolysis to form biochar,with a yield of 31.9%,accompanying with nearly complete destruction of cellulose crystals and remarkably enhanced aromatic degree.However,cellulose residual in WB-360 could still be activated to form AC-360 with specific surface area of 1837.9 m~2·g^(-1),which was lower than that in AC from activation of untreated WB(AC-blank,2077.8 m~2·g^(-1)).Nonetheless,the AC-200 from activation of WB-200 had more developed pores(2113.9 m~2·g^(-1))and superior capability for adsorption of phenol,due to increased permeability of ZnCl_(2) to the largely intact cellulose structure in WB-200.The thermal pretreatment did increase diameters of micropores of AC but reduced the overall yield of AC(26.8%for AC-blank versus 18.0%for AC-360),resulting from accelerated cracking but reduced intensity of condensation.In-situ infrared characterization of the activation showed that ZnCl_(2) mainly catalyzed dehydration,dehydrogenation,condensation,and aromatization but not cracking,suppressing the formation of derivatives of cellulose and lignin in bio-oil.The thermal pretreatment formed phenolic-OH and C=O with higher chemical innerness,which changed the reaction network in activation,shifting morphology of fibrous structures in AC-blank to“melting surface”in AC-200 or AC-280.

High adsorption selectivity of activated carbon and carbon molecular sieve boosting CO_(2)/N_(2) and CH_(4)/N_(2) separation

Flue gas and coal bed methane are two important sources of greenhouse gases.Pressure swing adsorption process has a wide range of application in the field of gas separation,and the selection of adsorbent is crucial.In this regard,in order to assess the better adsorbent for separating CO_(2) from flue gas and CH_(4) from coal bed methane,adsorption isotherms of CO_(2),CH_(4) and N_(2) on activated carbon and carbon molecular sieve are measured at 303.15,318.15 and 333.15 K,and up to 250 kPa.The experimental data fit better with Langmuir 2 compared to Langmuir 3 and Langmuir-Freundlich models,and Clausius-Clapeyron equation was used to calculate the isosteric heat.Both the order of the adsorbed amount and the adsorption heat on the two adsorbents are CO_(2)>CH_(4)>N_(2).The adsorption kinetics are calculated by the pseudo-first kinetic model,and the order of adsorption rates on activated carbon is N_(2)-CH_(4)>CO_(2),while on carbon molecular sieve,it is CO_(2)-N_(2)>CH_(4).It is shown that relative molecular mass and adsorption heat are the primary effect on kinetics for activated carbon,while kinetic diameter is the main resistance factor for carbon molecular sieve.Moreover,the adsorption selectivity of CH_(4)/N_(2) and CO_(2)/N_(2) were estimated with the ideal adsorption solution theory,and carbon molecular sieve performed best at 318.15 K for both CO_(2) and CH_(4) separation.The study suggested that activated carbon is a better choice for separating flue gas and carbon molecular sieve can be a strong candidate for separating coal bed methane.

Properties of Activated Carbons from Sugarcane Leaves and Rice Straw Derived Charcoals by Activation at Low Temperature via KMnO_(4)Pre-Oxidation-Hydrolysis

Activated carbon preparation from sugarcane leaves and rice straw by carbonization(250℃–400℃)and activation at 500℃were studied.The effects of pre-oxidation,hydrolysis of derived charcoals by boiled KMnO4 aqueous solution were evaluated.The derived charcoals products were pretreated using oxidation-hydrolysis with 1–5 wt.%KMnO4 at 100℃and then activated at 500℃.The derived charcoal and activated carbon products were characterized by FTIR,XRD,SEM-EDS and BET.Iodine number and methylene blue number of derived products were also used for the analysis of the products.It was found that fabricated charcoal materials made at 350℃–400℃possess good characteristics with low content of surface functional groups and high carbon content.After pre-oxidation-hydrolysis and activation at 500℃,the resulting derived activated carbon materials from charcoals with 400℃carbonization temperature have high content of oxygen containing surface functional groups such as Mn-O,Si-O,Si-O-Si,C-O,or O-H.In addition,MnO_(2) accumulated on the surface of the derived activated carbon products.The surface area and pore volume of the activated carbon products have also increased with increasing of KMnO_(4) concentration from 1 to 3 wt.%and then decreased with 5 wt.%used during activation.Therefore,activated carbon products made by pre-oxidation-hydrolysis with 3 wt.%KMnO_(4) were used for Fe(Ⅲ)adsorption experiments.It was found that Fe(Ⅲ)adsorption on the activated carbon materials can be fitted with both the Freundlich and the Langmuir models.The calculated maximum Fe(Ⅲ)adsorption capacities of sugarcane leaves derived activated carbon and rice straw derived activated carbon products were 50.00 and 39.37 mg/g,respectively.It was shown that the effect of pre-oxidation-hydrolysis by KMnO_(4) and activation at 500℃are beneficial for activated carbon preparation with environmentally friendly and low-cost simplified operation.

Adsorption of Malachite Green Using Activated Carbon from Mangosteen Peel: Optimization Using Box-Behnken Design

In this research,activated carbon from mangosteen peel has been synthesized using sulfuric acid as an activator.The adsorption performance of the activated carbon was optimized using malachite green dye as absorbate.Mala-chite green dye waste is a toxic and non-biodegradable material that damages the environment.Optimization of adsorption processes was carried out using Response Surface Methodology(RSM)with a Box-Behnken Design(BBD).The synthesized activated carbon was characterized using FTIR and SEM instruments.The FTIR spectra confirmed the presence of a sulfonate group(-SO_(3)H)in the activated carbon,indicating that the activation pro-cess using sulfuric acid was successful.SEM characterization shows that activated carbon has porous morphology.Optimization was carried out for three adsorption parameters,namely contact time(20,60,and 120 min),adsor-bent mass(0.005,0.025,and 0.05 g),and initial concentration of malachite green solution(5,50,and 100 mg·L^(-1)).The concentration of the malachite green solution was determined using a UV-Vis spectrophotometer at the max-imum wavelength of malachite green,618 nm.The optimum of malachite green adsorption using mangosteen peel activated carbon was obtained at a contact time of 80 min,an adsorbent mass of 0.032 g,and malachite green initial concentration of 25 mg·L^(-1),with a maximum removal percentage and maximum adsorption capacity of 93.66%and 19.345 mg·g^(-1),respectively.

Fate and Behavior of Tetracycline Resistance Genes in Activated Carbon Adsorption

The accessibility of tetracycline resistance gene (tetG) into the pores of activated carbon (AC), as well as the impact of the pore size distribution (PSD) of AC on the uptake capacity of tetG, were investigated using eight types of AC (four coal-based and four wood-based). AC showed the capability to admit tetG and the average reduction of tetG for coal-based and wood-based ACs at the AC dose of 1 g·L-1 was 3.12 log and 3.65 log, respectively. The uptake kinetic analysis showed that the uptake of the gene followed the pseudo-second-order kinetics reaction, and the uptake rate constant for the coal-based and wood-based ACs was in the range of 5.97 × 10-12 - 4.64 × 10-9 and 7.02 × 10-11 - 1.59 × 10-8 copies·mg-1·min-1, respectively. The uptake capacity analysis by fitting the obtained experiment data with the Freundlich isotherm model indicated that the uptake constant (KF) values were 1.71 × 103 - 8.00 × 109 (copies·g-1)1-1/n for coal-based ACs and 7.00 × 108 - 3.00 × 1010 (copies·g-1)1-1/n for wood-based ones. In addition, the correlation analysis between KF values and pore volume as well as pore surface at different pore size regions of ACs showed that relatively higher positive correlation was found for pores of 50 - 100 Å, suggesting ACs with more pores in this size region can uptake more tetG. The findings of this study are valuable as reference for optimizing the adsorption process regarding antibiotic resistance-related concerns in drinking water treatment.

Mechanical Property and Microstructure of Cement Mortar with Carbonated Recycled Powder

Carbonated recycled powder as cementitious auxiliary material can reduce carbon emissions and realize high-quality recycling of recycled concrete.In this paper,microscopic property of recycled powder with three carbonation methods was tested through XRD and SEM,the mechanical property and microstructure of recycled powder mortar with three replacement rates were studied by ISO method and SEM,and the strengthening mechanism was analyzed.The results showed that the mechanical property of recycled powder mortar decreased with the increasing of replacement rate.It is suggested that the replacement rate of recycled powder should not exceed 20%.The strength index and activity index of carbonated recycled powder mortar were improved,in which the flexural strength was increased by 27.85%and compressive strength was increased by 20%at the maximum.Recycled powder can be quickly and completely carbonated,and the improvement effect of CH pre-soaking carbonation was the best.The activity index of carbonated recycled powder can meet the requirements of Grade II technical standard for recycled powder.Microscopic results revealed the activation mechanism of carbonated recycled powder such as surplus calcium source effect,alkaline polycondensation effect and carbonation enhancement effect.

Preparation and Characterization of Activated Carbons from Palm Nut Shells: Effects of Calcination Temperature on Porosity and Chemical Properties

Activated carbons (ACs) calcined at 400˚C, 500˚C, and 600˚C (AC-400, AC-500, and AC-600) were prepared using palm nut shells from Gabon as raw material and zinc chloride (ZnCl2) as a chemical activating agent. Prepared ACs were characterized by physisorption of nitrogen (N2), determination of diode and methylene blue numbers for studies of porosity and by quantification and determination of surface functional groups and pH at point of zero charge (pHpzc) respectively, for studies of chemical properties of prepared ACs. Then, effects of calcination temperature (Tcal) on porosity and chemical properties of prepared ACs were studied. The results obtained showed that when the calcination temperature increases from 500˚C to 600˚C, the porosity and chemical properties of prepared ACs are modified. Indeed, the methylene blue and iodine numbers determined for activated carbons AC-400 (460 and 7.94 mg·g−1, respectively) and AC-500 (680 and 8.90 mg·g−1, respectively) are higher than those obtained for AC-600 (360 and 5.75 mg·g−1, respectively). Compared to the AC-500 adsorbent, specific surface areas (SBET) and microporous volume losses for AC-600 were estimated to 44.7% and 45.8%, respectively. Moreover, in our experimental conditions, the effect of Tcal on the quantities of acidic and basic functional groups on the surface of the ACs appears negligible. In addition, results of the pHpzc of prepared ACs showed that as Tcal increases, the pH of the adsorbents increases and tends towards neutrality. Indeed, a stronger acidity was determined on AC-400 (pHpzc = 5.60) compared to those on AC-500 and AC-600 (pHpzc = 6.85 and 6.70, respectively). Also according to the results of porosity and chemical characterizations, adsorption being a surface phenomenon, 500˚C appears to be the optimal calcination temperature for the preparation of activated carbons from palm nut shells in our experimental conditions.

Simultaneous Adsorption of Aqueous Pb2+, Cu2+, Zn2+, and Cd2+ Using Surfactant-Modified and Unmodified Activated Carbon in a Fixed Bed Column

The goal of this work is to improve the simultaneous removal of Pb2+, Cu2+, Zn2+, and Cd2+ ions from synthetic wastewater in a fixed bed column by incorporating sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) onto the surface of activated carbon made from coconut shells. The activated carbons were characterized using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) and scanning electron microscopy-energy dispersive x-ray (SEM-EDX). The adsorption column dynamics were studied by varying the flow rates (5, 10 and 15 mL/min), bed heights (10, 15 and 20 cm), and initial concentrations (50, 150, and 250 mg/L). The activated carbon has a pore volume of 0.715 cm3/g and a BET-specific surface area of 1410 m2/g. Sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) surfactant incorporation onto the surface of the activated carbon enhances its capacity for simultaneous adsorption of Pb2+, Cu2+, Zn2+, and Cd2+ from the aqueous medium. The affinity of the heavy metals to both unmodified (AC) and modified (AC-SDS) activated carbons followed the order of Pb2+ > Cu2+ > Zn2+ > Cd2+. The dynamic adsorption of the column depends on the flow rate, bed height, initial metal concentration, and SDS surface modification. With a 5 mL/min flow rate, a 20 cm bed height, and a 50 mg/L initial metal concentration, a maximum break-through time of 150 minutes for the unmodified activated carbon (AC) and 180 minutes for the SDS-modified activated carbon (AC-SDS) was reached.

Improving the Quality of Baobab Oil by Filtration on Activated Carbon from the Fruit Capsules

The baobab, Adansonia digitata L., plays an important role in the economy of local populations. Nowadays, baobab seed oil is highly prized for its many cosmetic and therapeutic applications, and for its composition of unsaturated fatty acids, sterols, and tocopherols. However, it undergoes numerous reactions during production, processing, transport, and storage, leading to undesirable products that make it unstable. The aim of this study was to provide local processors with innovative solutions for the treatment of unrefined vegetable oils. To this end, an experimental device for filtering crude oil on activated carbon made from fruit capsules was designed. The results obtained after the treatment show a significant decrease at (p < 5%) in acid value (1.62 to 0.58 mg KOH/g), peroxide value (4.40a to 0.50c mEqO2/Kg), chlorophyll concentration (1.81 to 0.50 mg/Kg) and primary and secondary oxidation products. According to these results, activated carbon’s adsorptive power eliminates oxidation products and certain pro-oxidants such as chlorophyll, resulting in a cleaner, more stable and better storable oil.

Elimination, Kinetics and Thermodynamics of Fe(II) Ions by Adsorption in Static and Dynamic Conditions on Activated Carbons in Aqueous Media

This work investigated the removal, kinetics and thermodynamics of iron(II) ions (Fe(II)) by adsorption in static and dynamic conditions in aqueous media on activated carbons (AC-i30min, AC-i1h, and AC-i24h), prepared from palm nut shells collected in the city of Franceville to Gabon, using potassium hydroxide (KOH) as the activating agent. Results on the elimination of Fe(II) in static and dynamic adsorption on prepared activated carbons (ACs) showed that the AC-i24h adsorbent has the best Fe(II) adsorption capacities at saturation (Qsat). The Qsat obtained on AC-i24h in static and dynamic conditions (17.87 and 10.38 mg/g, respectively) were higher than those of AC-i30min (13.89 and 5.54 mg/g respectively) and AC-i1h (14.92 and 8.64 mg/g respectively). Moreover, the static adsorption was more effective in the removal of Fe(II) ions in aqueous media in our experimental conditions. The percentage removal (%E) of Fe(II) obtained on prepared activated carbons in static conditions was better than those obtained in dynamic conditions, especially on AC-i24h, where the %E was 89.27% in static and 61.56% in dynamic. In kinetics, results showed that the pseudo-second-order kinetic model best described the adsorption mechanisms of Fe(II) on prepared activated carbons in static adsorption, with mainly of chemisorption on the solid surfaces. However, in dynamic conditions, the pseudo-first-order kinetic model was more suitable. In addition to the weak interactions between Fe(II) and the activated carbon surfaces, strong interactions (chemisorption) were also observed. Also, thermodynamic data obtained on AC-i24h in static adsorption indicated that the adsorption of Fe(II) was spontaneous and increased with temperature (ΔG˚ H˚ = 503.54 KJ/mol).

Chemical Analysis of Activated Carbon from Bull and Cow Horns Pyrolysis to Be Used as Antidotes

The purpose of this study is to compare the results of chemical analysis of two types of activated from the pyrolysis of bull horn and that of cow. Six samples were used to measure pH, carbon, calcium and to determine adsorbent power. The pH was measured at a temperature of 20˚C using an “ANION 7010 ionomer” pH meter, the carbon (C) content was analyzed using a “EURO EA 3000” analyzer. and the electronic balance: “Sartorius CP-2P”, calcium (Ca) was analyzed using a DFS-8 spectrograph. For the adsorbency test, the 0.15% methylene blue R solution was used. At the end of this study, we found that the activated carbon from the bull horn demonstrated a carbon content that is higher than that of the cow horn (20.79% against 15.63%), activated carbon of cow horn is richer in calcium than that of bull horn (16.27% against 3.69%) and then the pH. The cow horn is higher than that of the bull horn (7.43 versus 6.5). For the adsorbent power, the sample (75% bull horn and 25% cow horn) was recorded with the greatest adsorbent power. Thus, from this study, it can be recommended as an activated carbon antidote to be used for poisonings treatment.

Regeneration of activated carbon adsorbed EDTA by electrochemical method

Activated carbon after saturated adsorption of EDTA was used as particle electrode in a three-dimensional electrode reactor to treat EDTA-containing wastewater.Electrochemical method was used to regenerate activated carbon after many times of electrolysis.Based on the analysis of infrared spectra of activated carbon after adsorption and repeated electrolysis,EDTA was degraded into glycine,and then non-catalytic activated associated complex was formed with N—H bond on the activated carbon.The catalytic ability of the activated carbon vanished and the EDTA degradation efficiency was dropped.Activated carbon could be effectively regenerated by electrochemical method in the three-dimensional reactor.Effects of electric current,conductivity and pH on activated carbon regeneration were investigated,and the optimum conditions were concluded as follows：100-300 mA of current intensity,1.39 mS/cm of electric conductivity,60 min of electrolysis time and pH 6.0-8.0.Under the optimized conditions,the activity of the activated carbon can be recovered and the residual total organic carbon（TOC） was below 10 mg/L（the initial TOC was 200 mg/L） in the three-dimensional electrode reactor.

Selective oxidation of glycerol to lactic acid over activated carbon supported Pt catalyst in alkaline solution

Pt/activated carbon （Pt/AC） catalyst combined with base works efficiently for lactic acid production from glycerol under mild conditions. Base type （LiOH, NaOH, KOH, or Ba（OH）2） and base/glycerol molar ratio significantly affected the catalytic performance. The corresponding lactic acid selectivity was in the order of LiOH〉NaOH〉KOH〉Ba（OH）2. An increase in LiOH/glycerol molar ratio ele‐vated the glycerol conversion and lactic acid selectivity to some degree, but excess LiOH inhibited the transformation of glycerol to lactic acid. In the presence of Pt/AC catalyst, the maximum selec‐tivity of lactic acid was 69.3% at a glycerol conversion of 100% after 6 h at 90 °C, with a Li‐OH/glycerol molar ratio of 1.5. The Pt/AC catalyst was recycled five times and was found to exhibit slightly decreased glycerol conversion and stable lactic acid selectivity. In addition, the experimental results indicated that reaction intermediate dihydroxyacetone was more favorable as the starting reagent for lactic acid formation than glyceraldehyde. However, the Pt/AC catalyst had adverse effects on the intermediate transformation to lactic acid, because it favored the catalytic oxidation of them to glyceric acid.

Preparation of spherical activated carbon-supported and Er^(3+):YAlO_3-doped TiO_2 photocatalyst for methyl orange degradation under visible light

In order to develop the high photocatalytic activity of TiO2 under visible light as that under ultraviolet light and make it easy to be separated from treated liquor, a visible light response and spherical activated carbon （SAC） supported photocatalyst doped with upconversion luminescence agent Er3＋：YAlO3 was prepared by immobilizing Er3＋：YAlO3/TiO2, which was obtained by combination of Er3＋：YAlO3 and TiO2 using sol-gel method, on the surface of SAC. The crystal phase composition, surface structure and element distribution, and light absorption of the new photocatalysts were examined by X-ray diffraction （XRD）, energy dispersive X-ray spectra （EDS） analysis, scanning electron microscopy （SEM） and fluorescence spectra analysis （FSA）. The photocatalytic oxidation activity of the photocatalysts was also evaluated by the photodegradation of methyl orange （MO） in aqueous solution under visible light irradiation from a LED lamp （λ400 nm）. The results showed that Er3＋：YAlO3 could perform as the upconversion luminescence agent which converts the visible light up to ultraviolet light. The Er3＋：YAlO3/TiO2 calcinated at 700 °C revealed the highest photocatalytic activity. The apparent reaction rate constant could reach 0.0197 min-1 under visible light irradiation.

Soil Carbon Pool Management Index under Different Straw Retention Regimes

[Objective] To clarify the effects of different straw retention regimes on soil fertility in double cropping paddy field. [Method] The effects of different straw reten- tion regimes on total organic carbon （CToc）, active carbon （CA） and mineralized carbon （CM） were analyzed, and carbon pool active （A）, carbon pool active index （A/）, carbon pool index （CPI） and carbon pool management index （CPMi） for each treat- ment were calculated. [Result] Compared with the unfertilized treatment （CK）, CToc, CA, CM and the available ratio of soil carbon were increased in the treatment of re- turning early season and late season rice straws to field. With the same nutrient application, CToc, CA and the available ratio of soil carbon in the field with straw re- turned to field were higher than that of straw incineration and no straw returning, and the change in soil CA content was more significant. The difference in CPMI be- tween different treatments reached significant or very significant level, and the value was in the order of straw directly returned to field 〉 straw returned to field after in- cineration 〉 no straw returned to field. [Conclusion] This study provided theoretical bases for the increase of soil CA content and soil fertility in double rice fields.

Photocatalytic activity and kinetics for acid yellow degradation over surface composites of TiO_2-coated activated carbon under different photocatalytic conditions

TiO2-coated activated carbon surface （TAs） composites were prepared by a sol-gel method with supercritical pretreatment. The photocatalytic degradation of acid yellow （AY） was investigated under UV radiation to estimate activity of catalysts and determine the kinetics. And the effects of parameters including the initial concentration of AY, light intensity and TiO2 content in catalysts were examined. The results indicate that TAs has a higher efficiency in decomposition of AY than P25, pure TiO2 particles as well as the mixture of TiO2 powder and active carbon. The photocatalytic degradation rate is found to follow the pseudo-first order kinetics with respect to the AY concentration. The new kinetic model fairly resembles the classic Langmuir-Hinshelwood equation, and the rate constant is proportional to the square root of the light intensity in a wide range. However, its absorption performance depends on the surface areas of catalysts. The model fits quite well with the experimental data and elucidates phenomena about the effects of the TiO2 content in TAs on the degradation rate.

Biohydrogen production with anaerobic sludge immobilized by granular activated carbon in a continuous stirred-tank

A continuous stirred-tank reactor （CSTR） process with granular activated carbon （GAC） was developed for fermentation hydrogen production from molasses-containing wastewater by mixed microbial cultures. Operation at 35℃, an initial biomass of 17.74 g·L^-1 and hydraulic retention time （HRT） of 6 h, the CSTR reactor presented a continuous hydrogen production ability of 5.9 L·d^-1 and the biogas was free of methane throughout the experiment. Dissolved fermehtation products were predominated by ethanol and acetate acid, with smaller quantities of propionic acid, butyric acid and valeric acid. It was found that GAC could make the immobilized system durable and stable in response to organic load impacting and low pH value. When the organic loading rate （OLR） ranged from 8 kgCOD/（m^3d） to 4 kgCOD/（m^3d）, stable ethanol-type fermentation was formed, and the ethanol and acetate concentrations account for 89% of the total liquid products.

Preparation and Adsorption Properties of Activated Carbon from Glutinous Rice Straw by KOH Method

[Objective] This study aimed to improve comprehensive utilization value of glutinous rice straw and to develop new raw material for preparation of activated carbon. [Method] Using potassium hydroxide as activator and glutinous rice straw as raw material, activated carbon was prepared. [Result] The optimum technological conditions for preparation of activated carbon from glutinous rice straw were as fol- lows： activator concentration of 2 mol/L, activation time of 60 min, activation tem- perature of 600 ℃ and carbonization temperature of 450℃. The adsorption values of methylene blue and iodine by activated carbon prepared from glutinous rico straw were 10.21 ml/0.1 g and 920.74 mg/g respectively under the optimal conditions. The quality of the prepared activated carbon met the grade two of water quality purifica- tion-using activated carbon quality standard. [Conclusion] This study will provide certain references for comprehensive utilization of glutinous rice straw and preparation of high-performance activated carbon.

Preparation and Characterization of Activated Carbon Fiber from Paper

Activated carbon fibers （ACFS） with surface area of 1388 m2/g prepared from paper by chemical activation with KOH has been utilized as the adsorbent for the removal of methylene blue from aqueous solution. The experimental data were analyzed by Langmuir and Freundlich models of adsorption. The effects of pH value on the adsorption capacity of ACFS were also investigated. The rates of adsorption were found to conform to the kinetic model of Pseudo-second-order equation with high values of the correlation coefficients （R〉0.998）. The Langmuir isotherm was found to fit the experimental data better than the Feundlich isotherm over the whole concentration range. Maximum adsorption capacity of 520 mg/g at equilibrium was achieved. It was found that pH played a major role in the adsorption process, higher pH value favored the adsorption of MB.