Abstract
AbstractIn the last few decades, sulfonated carbon materials have garnered significant attention as Brønsted solid acid catalysts. The sulfonation process and catalytic activity of sulfonated biochar can be influenced by the aromaticity and degree of condensation exhibited by biochar. However, the relationships between the aromaticity, sulfonating ability, and resultant catalytic activity are not fully understood. In this study, biochar samples pyrolyzed at 300–650 °C exhibiting different aromaticity and degrees of condensation were sulfonated and employed as sulfonate-bearing solid catalysts for hydrolytically removing tylosin. They exhibited excellent hydrolytic performance and their kinetic constants were positively correlated with the total acidity and negatively correlated with their aromaticity. This study has uncovered the relationship between the structure, properties, sulfonating ability, and subsequent hydrolytic performance of biochar samples. It was observed that the aromaticity of biochar decreased as the pyrolysis temperature increased. Lower pyrolysis temperatures resulted in a reduced degree of condensation, smaller ring size, and an increased number of ring edge sites available for sulfonation, ultimately leading to enhanced catalytic performance. These findings provide valuable insights into the fundamental chemistry behind sulfonation upgrading of biochar, with the aim of developing functional catalysts for mitigating antibiotics in contaminated water.
Graphical Abstract
Funder
National Natural Science Foundation of China
State Key Joint Laboratory of Environmental Simulation and Pollution Control
National Research Foundation of Korea(NRF), funded by the Ministry of Education
National Research Foundation of Korea(NRF) grant funded by the Korea government
OJEong Resilience Institute (OJERI) at Korea University.
National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF) grant funded by the Korean government
Publisher
Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Subject
Pollution,Soil Science,Environmental Science (miscellaneous),Biomaterials