Removal of o-Nitrophenol via Adsorption by Porous Carbon Derived from Magnesium Oxide and Waste Polyethylene Terephthalate Prepared by Template Method

Abstract

In the present paper, the porous carbon material derived from waste PET was fabricated using a one-step recyclable MgO template synthesis approach. The material was subsequently employed as adsorbent for the efficient capture of o-nitrophenol (ONP) from aqueous solutions. With the change of the ratio of MgO template to waste PET, the prepared porous carbon has controllable specific surface area. The sample of WPC-1.5 exhibits a remarkable specific surface area of 885.99 m2/g. Static adsorption experiments demonstrate that this material possesses a substantial adsorption capacity for ONP, achieving a value of 474 mg/g. The WPC-1.5 was characterized by scanning electron microscopy, BET and adsorption kinetic and equilibrium isotherms evaluation.