Phenol adsorption on zeolite-templated carbons with different structural and surface properties

The adsorption behaviors of phenol in aqueous solution on zeolite-templated porous carbons with different pore structures and surface properties were studied. The structural and surface properties of the carbon samples were characterized using N2 adsorption, water vapor adsorption, X-ray photoelectron spectrometer (XPS), and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). It was observed that thermal treatment under nitrogen can significantly eliminate surface oxygen-containing groups, thus altering phenol adsorption behaviors. The adsorption capacity of phenol on the porous carbons after thermal treatment was markedly increased in spite of reduced surface area and pore volume. Possible reasons behind the experimental observations including the formation of water molecular cluster, π-π dispersive interaction, electron donor-acceptor mechanism, and micropore structure were discussed.