The Influence of Oxidation and Nitrogenation on the Physicochemical Properties and Sorption Capacity of Activated Biocarbons Prepared from the Elderberry Inflorescence

Abstract

The main objective of the study was to prepare a series of new activated biocarbons by means of physical and chemical activation of elderberry inflorescence. The influence of carbon matrix nitrogenation/oxidation on the physicochemical properties and sorption abilities of the carbonaceous materials was investigated. The impact of initial dye concentration, pH and temperature of the system on methylene blue and rhodamine B removal efficiency was checked. It was shown that activation of elderberry inflorescences with CO2 or H3PO4, and their further modification by introducing nitrogen or oxygen functional groups, allowed us obtain a wide range of materials that differ significantly in terms of the chemical nature of the surface, degree of specific surface development and the type of porous structure generated. The samples prepared by chemical activation proved to be very effective in terms of cationic dyes adsorption. The maximum sorption capacity toward methylene blue and rhodamine B reached the level of 277.8 and 98.1 mg/g, respectively. A better fit to the experimental data was achieved with a Langmuir isotherm than a Freundlich one. It was also shown that the efficiency of methylene blue and rhodamine B adsorption from aqueous solutions decreased with increasing temperature of the system.