In this study, the efficiency of activated carbon (AC) synthesized from the shrimp shell plus cellulose (SS@C) was optimized toward Bisphenol A (BPA) adsorption. Low-cost, renewable, and non-toxic shrimp shells mixed with cellulose were carbonized, followed by activation via CO2 and NaHCO3 to produce SS@C-AC. The results revealed that SS@C-AC samples were a porous composite with mesoporous structures comprising a relatively high specific surface area (935.20 m2/g) with a mean pore size of around 3.8 nm and mesoporous volume of 1.83E-02 cm3/g. The influences of initial concentrations, pH values, and adsorption on BPA were investigated systematically. Isotherm model and kinetics study of the adsorption of BPA on SS@C-AC exhibited that the obtained data were in agreement with the Langmuir adsorption isotherm model while there is no difference between PFO and PSO kinetic results for BPA concentrations in the range 25-100 mg/L. The impregnation ratio of 1.5 NaHCO3 and an activation time of 90 min at 800°C were the optimum conditions under which BPA removal of 81.78% was obtained.
Keywords: Bisphenol A; Carbonization; Cellulose; Shrimp shell; Sodium bicarbonate activation.
© 2022. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.