Porous activated carbons derived from waste Moroccan pine cones for high-performance adsorption of bisphenol A from water
Yassine Jari,
Nicolas Roche,
Mohamed Chaker Necibi,
Fatima Zahra Falil,
Saida Tayibi,
Karim Lyamlouli,
Abdelghani Chehbouni,
Bouchaib Gourich
Affiliations
Yassine Jari
International Water Research Institute (IWRI), Mohammed VI Polytechnic University, Ben Guerir, 43150, Morocco
Nicolas Roche
International Water Research Institute (IWRI), Mohammed VI Polytechnic University, Ben Guerir, 43150, Morocco; Aix-Marseille University, CNRS, IRD, INRAE, Coll France, CEREGE, CEDEX, 13454, Aix-en-Provence, France
Mohamed Chaker Necibi
International Water Research Institute (IWRI), Mohammed VI Polytechnic University, Ben Guerir, 43150, Morocco
Fatima Zahra Falil
Laboratory of Process and Environmental Engineering, Higher School of Technology, Hassan II University of Casablanca, Morocco
Saida Tayibi
AgroBioSciences (AgBS), College of Sustainable Agriculture and Environmental Science (CSAES), Mohammed VI Polytechnic University (UM6P), Benguerir, 43150, Morocco
Karim Lyamlouli
AgroBioSciences (AgBS), College of Sustainable Agriculture and Environmental Science (CSAES), Mohammed VI Polytechnic University (UM6P), Benguerir, 43150, Morocco
Abdelghani Chehbouni
International Water Research Institute (IWRI), Mohammed VI Polytechnic University, Ben Guerir, 43150, Morocco; Centre D’études Spatiales de La Biosphère (Cesbio), Institut de Recherche Pour le Développement (IRD), Unité Mixte de Recherche (UMR), 31401, Toulouse, France
Bouchaib Gourich
International Water Research Institute (IWRI), Mohammed VI Polytechnic University, Ben Guerir, 43150, Morocco; Laboratory of Process and Environmental Engineering, Higher School of Technology, Hassan II University of Casablanca, Morocco; Corresponding author. International Water Research Institute (IWRI), Mohammed VI Polytechnic University, Ben Guerir, 43150, Morocco.
Porous-activated carbons (ACs) derived from Moroccan pine cones (PC) were synthesised by a two step-chemical activation/carbonisation method using phosphoric acid (PC-H) and zinc chloride (PC-Z) as activating agents and used for the adsorption of bisphenol A (BPA) from water. Several techniques (TGA/DTA, FT-IR, XRD, SEM and BET) were used to determine the surface area and pore characterisation and variations during the preparation of the adsorbents. The modification significantly increased the surface area of both ACs, resulting in values of 1369.03 m2 g−1 and 1018.86 m2 g−1 for PC-H and PC-Z, respectively. Subsequent adsorption tests were carried out, varying parameters including adsorbent dosage, pH, initial BPA concentration, and contact time. Therefore, the highest adsorption capacity was observed when the BPA molecules were in their neutral form. High pH values were found to be unfavourable for the removal of bisphenol A from water. The results showed that BPA adsorption kinetics and isotherms followed pseudo-second-order and Langmuir models. Thermodynamic studies indicated that the adsorption was spontaneous and endothermic. Besides, the regeneration of spent adsorbents demonstrated their reusability. The adsorption mechanisms can be attributed to physical adsorption, hydrogen bonds, electrostatic forces, hydrophobic interactions, and π-π intermolecular forces.
