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.

Catalytic Pyrolyses of Rayon and the Effect on Activated Carbon Fiber

The catalytic pyrolyses of rayon have been studied respectively by thermo-gravimetric analysis (TGA) when rayon was treated with phosphoric acid (PA), three ammonium phosphate salts and ammonium sulfate (AS). The air is favorable to the catalysis of dibasic ammonium phosphate (DAP), but not to those of ADP, PA, AP, and AS obviously. It is put forward that a peak’s shape character can be described with the ratio of height to half-height-width (H/W /2) of the peak on a differential thermo-gravimetric (DTG) curve. A flat cracking peak, presenting a more moderate dehydration reaction, has a smaller ratio and could lead to higher carbonization and activation yields. The experimental results prove this view. According to expectation, the order of catalysis is: DAP≥ADP>PA> APAS no catalyst.

Adsorption characteristics of carbon tetrachloride from aqueous solution onto polyacrylonitrile-based activated carbon fiber

The isotherm,mechanism and kinetics of carbon tetrachloride(CT) adsorption by polyacrylonitrile-based activated carbon fiber(PAN-ACF) were investigated in batch reactors and a continuous flow reactor,and the regeneration of PAN-ACF was also studied.Freundlich and Dubinin-Radushkevich(D-R) adsorption equations can well describe the adsorption isotherm.CT is mainly adsorbed on the exterior surface of PAN-ACF with low boundary layer effect and rate-controlling step of intra-particle diffusion.The adsorption dynamics in the batch reactor well fits with the pseudo-first-order model,and the breakthrough curves in the continuous flow reactor can be well described by the Yoon-Nelson model.The ACF can be recycled through thermal regeneration,whereas the adsorption capacity decreases from 7.87 to 4.98 mg/g after the fourth regeneration.78%-94%of CT can be removed from the wastewater of a fluorine chemical plant on a pilot scale,which confirms the efficacy of ACF under industrial conditions.The results indicate that PAN-ACF is applicable to CT removal from wastewater.

Effects of Pre-oxidation Conditions on Adsorption Performance of Activated Carbon Fibers

In order to investigate the effects of pre-oxidation conditions on adsorption performance of activated carbon fibers （ ACFs ）, electrospun polyacrylonitrile （ PAN ） fiber webs were adopted as precursors for preparing ACFs. Firstly, the webs were stabilized under different pre-oxidation conditions; secondly, the pre-oxidative fibers were chemically activated by high temperature treatment in nitrogen. Pre-oxidation temperature, heating rate, and treatment time are the main factors on affecting the adsorption performance of the ACFs. Scanning electron microscope （ SEM）, differential scanning calorimeter （DSC）, and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy （FTIR） were used to characterize the structure and property of the pre-oxldatlve fibers, and the dynamic benzene adsorption capacity of benzene of ACFs was measured. The results indicate that the moderate pre-oxidation condition is necessary to prepare the ACFs with better adsorption capacity, and the optimal oxidation conditions are to increase from room temperature to 230 ~C with a heating rate of 0.75 ~C ~ min -1 held at the peak temperature for 30min.

Damping Properties of Piezoelectric and Electrical Conductive of BaTiO_3/VGCF/CPE Composites: Effect of Carbon Fiber

A new damping composite of CPE/BaTiO3/VGCF has been developed on the basis of the piezo- effect and conductivity mechanism. The conductivity of composites varied with the VGCF content are tested and analyzed.The results indicate that the conductivity of composites grows up slowly as the VGCF content is in the range of 10%-20%. It is very useful for industrial application to control the conductivity of composites by adjusting the VGCF content. In addition, at the range of - 50 - 120°C,the dependence of loss factor on the VGCF content varied with the temperature are tested and analyzed by dynamic mechanical and dielectric behavior measurement of the composites, and expected results are obtained.

Adsorption onto Activated Carbon Fiber Cloth and Electrothermal Desorption of Volatile Organic Compound(VOCs):A Specific Review

A general research program, focusing on activated carbon fiber cloths （ACFC） and felt for environmental protection was performed. The objectives were multiple： （i） a better understanding of the adsorption mecha- nisms of these kinds of materials; （ii） the specification and optimization of new processes using these adsorbents; （iii） the modeling of the adsorption of organic pollutants using both the usual and original approaches; （iv） applications of ACFC in industrial processes. The general question was： how can activated carbon fiber cloths and felts be used in air treatment processes for the protection of environment. In order to provide an answer, different approaches were adopted. The materials （ACFC） were characterized in terms of macro structure and internal porosity. Specific studies were performed to get the air flow pattern through the fabrics. Head loss data were generated and modeled as a fi.mction of air velocity. The performances of ACF to remove volatile organic compounds （VOCs） were approached with the adsorption isotherms and breakthrough curves in various operating conditions. Regenera- tion by Joule effect shows a homogenous heating of adsorber modules with rolled or pleated layers. Examples of industrial developments were presented showing an interesting technology for the removal of VOCs, such as dichloromethane, benzene, isopropyl alcohol and toluene, alone or in a complex mixture.

Analysis of α, β, γ-hexachlorocyclohexanes in water by novel activated carbon fiber-solid phase microextraction coupled with gas chromatography—mass spectrometry

A fast and simple method for determination of α, β, γ-hexachlorocyclohexanes (HCHs) in water using activated carbon fiber-solid phase microextraction(ACF-SPME) were studied. Results showed the performance of adsorption and desorption of three HCHs on ACF were excellent. A wide linear range from 10 to 100 μg/L and detection limits of the ng/L level were obtained using ACF-SPME with GC-MS in selected ion monitoring(SIM) acquisition mode. The proposed method was also successfully applied for determination of three HCHs in tap water. Compared to commercial fibers, ACF showed some advantages such as better resistance to solvents, higher thermal stability, longer lifetime and lower cost. The data demonstrated that GC-MS with ACF-SPME is well suitable for the analysis of HCHs in water.

Plasma Modification of Activated Carbon Fibers for Adsorption of SO_2

Viscose-based activated carbon fibers （VACFs） were treated by a dielectric-barrier discharge plasma under the feed gas of N2. The surface functional groups of VACFs were modified to improve the adsorption and catalysis capacity for SO2. The surface properties of the untreated and plasma-treated VACFs were diagnosed by SEM, BET, FTIR, and XPS, and the adsorption capacities of VACFs for SO2 were also compared and discussed. The results show that after the plasma treatment, the external surface of VACFs was etched and became rougher, while the surface area and the total pore volume decreased. FTIR and XPS revealed that nitrogen atoms were introduced onto the VACFs surface and the distribution of functional groups on the VACFs surface was changed remarkably. The adsorption characteristic of SO2 indicates that the plasmatreated VACFs have better adsorption capacity than the original VACFs due to the nitrogen functional groups and new functional groups formed in modification, which is beneficial to the adsorption of SO2.

A Study on the Surface Structures of Viscose-based Activated Carbon Fiber by FT-IR Spectroscopy and XPS

Using viscose fiber (VF) as starting material and common steam as activating agent, formation of oxygen structures in activated carbon fiber is investigated. In the preparation of samples, VF was first heated at temperatures between 450℃ and 900℃ in N_2 artmosphere. Then, in a successive activation stage, the product carbonized at 600℃ was activated in steam at 450-900℃ for 30 min, and at 600℃ for 5-30 min. The other carbonization products were activated at 600 and 900℃ for 30 min respectively. The products activated at 900℃ were then activated at 450℃ for 30 min again. The starting materiah carbonized products and all activation products were examined by FT-IR spectroscopy and some products were examined by X-ray photoelectron spectroscope (XPS). And the yields of the carbonized and activated products were calculated. By analysing these spectra, the amount of oxygen-containing functional groups of the activated products attained under various activation time, various activation temperature and various previous carbonization temperature was determined.

Catalytic Effect of Activated Carbon and Activated Carbon Fiber in Non-Equilibrium Plasma-Based Water Treatment

Catalysis and regeneration efficiency of granular activated carbon （GAC） and activated carbon fiber （ACF） were investigated in a non-equilibrium plasma water treatment reactor with a combination of pulsed streamer discharge and GAC or ACF. The experimental results show that the degradation efficiency of methyl orange （MO） by the combined treatment can increase 22% （for GAC） and 24% （for ACF） respectively compared to pulsed discharge treatment alone, indicating that the combined treatment has a synergetic effect. The MO degradation efficiency by the combined treatment with pulsed discharge and saturated GAC or ACF can increase 12% and 17% respectively compared to pulsed discharge treatment alone. Both GAC and ACF show catalysis and the catalysis of ACF is prominent. Meanwhile, the regeneration of GAC and ACF are realized in this process. When H202 is introduced into the system, the utilization efficiency of ozone and ultraviolet light is improved and the regeneration efficiency of GAC and ACF is also increased.

Construction of Hierarchical Nanostructured N-doped TiO2 Immobilized Activated Carbon Fiber Porous Composites for Toluene Removal

The hierarchical nanostructured N-doped TiO2 immobilized activated carbon fiber(N-TiO2/ACF)porous composites are fabricated to removal dynamic toluene gas.The results show that nitrogen ions doping and ACF modification can decrease the band gap of TiO2,leading to red shift toward visible light region.Interestingly,N-TiO2/ACF exhibits strongly synergistic effect owing to high surface area,good crystallinity,enhanced bandgap structure and light harvesting.The toluene removal rate of N-TiO2/ACF composites is 2.29 times higher than that of TiO2.The N-TiO2/ACF for toluene degradation followed the Langmuir-Hinshelwood kinetic model,and the rate constant is enhanced 8 times compared with TiO2.The possible photodegradation pathway and mechanisms are proposed.

Structural Performance and Characterization of Polyimide Doped Activated Carbon Fibers for Mercury Adsorption

Structure characteristics about activated carbon fibers (ACF) and polyimide (P84) doped ACF modified by HNO3 solution were studied to apply in mercury removal in coal-fired flue gases. The P84, which was always used in the non-woven fabric for bag filter, was intermingled with polyacrylonitrile-based ACF (PAN-ACF) in the weight ratio of 1∶1 in order to make the doped ACF with P84 (doped-ACF-P84). Then the doped-ACF-P84 fibers were modified by HNO3 solution. The structure and morphology of doped-ACF-P84 were characterized and compared with those of ACF and doped-ACF-P84 modified by HNO3solution. The results show that the modified doped-ACF-P84 fibers have almost the same pore structure and specific surface area comparing with the original one. However, contrasted with the original PAN-ACF, the doped-ACF-P84 fibers modified by HNO3 solution have more oxygen-containing groups used for mercury removal. In particular, they have more lactone and carboxyl groups.

Photodegradation of Methylene Blue in a Batch Fixed Bed Photoreactor Using Activated Carbon Fibers Supported TiO2 Photocatalyst

A batch fixed bed photoreactor,using felt-form activated carbon fibers(ACF)supported TiO2 photocatalyst(TiO2/ACF),was developed to carry out photocatalytic degradation of methylene blue(MB)solution.The effects of TiO2 particle size,loaded TiO2 amount,initial MB concentration,airflow rate and successive run on the decomposition rate were investigated.The results showed that photodegradation process followed a pseudo-first-order reaction kinetic law.The apparent first-order reaction constant kapp was larger than 0.047 min- 1 with half reaction time t1/2 shorter than 15 min,which was comparable to reported data using suspended Degussa P-25 TiO2 particles.The high degradation rate was mainly attributed to adsorption of MB molecules onto the surface of TiO2/ACF.The photocatalytic efficiency still remained nearly 90%after 12 successive runs,showing that successive usage of the designed photoreactor was possible.The synergic enhancement effect in combination of adsorption with ACF and photodegradation with TiO2 was proved by comparing MB removal rates in the successive degradation and adsorption runs,respectively.

Micro Model of Carbon Fiber/Cyanate Ester Composites and Analysis of Machining Damage Mechanism

Machining damage occurs on the surface of carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP) composites during processing. In the current simulation model of CFRP, the initial defects on the carbon fiber and the periodic random distribution of the reinforcement phase in the matrix are not considered in detail, which makes the characteristics of the cutting model significantly different from the actual processing conditions. In this paper, a novel three-phase model of carbon fiber/cyanate ester composites is proposed to simulate the machining damage of the composites. The periodic random distribution of the carbon fiber reinforced phase in the matrix was realized using a double perturbation algorithm. To achieve the stochastic distribution of the strength of a single carbon fiber, a novel method that combines the Weibull intensity distribution theory with the Monte Carlo method is presented. The mechanical properties of the cyanate matrix were characterized by fitting the stress-strain curves, and the cohesive zone model was employed to simulate the interface. Based on the model, the machining damage mechanism of the composites was revealed using finite element simulations and by conducting a theoretical analysis. Furthermore, the milling surfaces of the composites were observed using a scanning electron microscope, to verify the accuracy of the simulation results. In this study, the simulations and theoretical analysis of the carbon fiber/cyanate ester composite processing were carried out based on a novel three-phase model, which revealed the material failure and machining damage mechanism more accurately.

STUDIES ON THE CATALYTIC REACTION OF NITROGEN OXIDE ON METAL MODIFIED ACTIVATED CARBON FIBERS

The catalytic reaction of NO with CO and decomposition of NO over metal modified ACFs were investigated and compared with other carriers supported catalysts. It is demonstrated that Pd/ACF and Pd/Cu/ACF have high catalytic activity for the reaction of NO/CO, while Pt/ACF, Pt/Cu/ACF and Co/Cu/ACF have very low catalytic activity in similar circumstance. Pd-modified ACF possesses high catalytic decomposition of NO at 300℃. Pd/CB and Pd/GAC present good catalytic decomposition ability for NO only at low flowrate. Pd/G, Pd/ZMS and Pd/A however, do not show any catalytic activity for NO decomposition even at 400℃. Catalytic temperature, NO flowrate and loading of metal components affect the decomposition rate of NO. The coexistence of Cu with Pd on Cu/Pd/ACF leads to crystalline of palladium to more unperfected so as to that increase the catalytic activity.

Gas phase tricholoethylene removal at low concentration using activated carbon fiber

The breakthrough adsorption behaviors of gas phase trichloroethylene in a packed bed of activated carbon fibers(ACF) were investigated. The specific surface area of the ACF was 600 m 2/g, 1400 m 2/g and 1600 m 2/g, respectively, and the concentration of trichloroethylene ranged from 270 mg/m 3 to 2700 mg/m 3. Results showed that the capacity of adsorption increased with increasing specific surface area, the relationship between the logarithms of 10% breakthrough time and concentration was approximately linear over the experimental range, the breakthrough time decreased with increasing temperature and humidity. The breakthrough curves at different inlet concentration or different temperature can be predicted by several simple theoretical models with good agreements.

STUDY ON THE PROPERTIES OF DIFFERENT ACTIVATED CARBON FIBERS AND THEIR ADSORPTION CHARACTERISTICS FOR FORMALDEHYDE

Porous structure and surface chemistry of activated carbon fibers obtained by differ-ent precursors and activation methods were investigated. Adsorption isotherms werecharacterized by nitrogen adsorption at 77K over a relative pressure range from 10 6to 1. The regularization method according to Density Functional Theory (DFT) wasemployed to calculate the pore size distribution in the samples. Their specific surfaceareas were calculated by BET method, micropore volume and microporous specificsurface area calculated by t-plot method and MPD by Horvath-Kawazoe equation. Mi-cropore volume of rayon-based ACF was higher than that of other samples. The staticand dynamic adsorption capacity for formaldehyde on different ACFs was determined.The results show that steam activated Rayon-based A CFs had higher adsorption capac-ity than that of steam and KOH activated PAN-A CFs. Breakthrough curves illustratedthat Rayon-ACFs had longer breakthrough time, thus they possessed higher adsorp-tion capacity for formaldehyde than that of PAN-ACFs. The entire sample had smalladsorption capacity and short breakthrough time for water. Rayon-A CFs had exccl-lent adsorption selectivity for formaldehyde than PAN-ACFs. And the samples withhigh surface areas had relatively high adsorption capacity for formaldehyde. Elementaicontent of different A CFs were performed. Rayon-based A CFs contained more oxygenthan PAN-ACFs, which may be attributed to their excellent adsorption capacity forformaldehyde.

Interposition fixing structure of TiO_2 film deposited on activated carbon fibers

The immobilized photocatalyst, TiO2 film supported on activated carbon fibers (TiO2/ACFs) prepared with molecular adsorption-deposition (MAD), exhibits high stability in cyclic photodegradation runs. The interposition fixing structure between TiO2 film and carbon fiber was investigated by means of SEM-EDX, XRD, XPS and FTIR, and a model was proposed to explain this structure. With SEM examination of carbon fiber surface after removing the deposited TiO2 film, a residual TiO2 super-thin film was found to exist still. By determining surface groups on ACFs, titanium sulfate (Ti2(SO4)3) in burnt remainders of the TiO2/ACFs was thought to be formed with an interfacial reaction between TiO2 film and carbon fibers. These provide some evidence of firm attachment of TiO2 film to carbon fiber surface. In the consideration of characteristics of the MAD, the deposition mechanism of TiO2 film on ACFs was proposed, and the interposition fixing structure was inferred to intercrossedly form between TiO2 film and ACFs’ surface. This structure leaded to firm attachment and high stability of the TiO2 film.