Lignin templated synthesis of porous carbon–CeO2 composites and their application for the photocatalytic desulphuration

• Lignin was used as template for the synthesis of porous carbon–CeO2 composites.
• The prepared porous carbon–CeO2 composites were used for the photocatalytic removal of SO2.
• The possible formation mechanism of carbon–CeO2 was proposed.
• Desulfurization mechanism of porous carbon–CeO2 composites was also proposed.

In this work, lignin was used as template for the synthesis of porous carbon–CeO2 composites via the cocalcination method. The structure and morphology of composites were investigated by X-ray powder diffractometer, scanning electron microscope and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy. The characterized results indicated that porous carbon was formed due to the decomposition of lignin, and CeO2 nanorods are grown uniformly in the porous carbon to form porous carbon–CeO2 composites. The prepared porous carbon–CeO2 composites were used for the photocatalytic removal of SO2 at room temperature under light irradiation. The photocatalytic activity of carbon–CeO2 was greatly enhanced compared with CeO2. The maximum of photocatalytic conversion of SO2 can be about 51.89% much higher than that of CeO2. The possible mechanism for the photocatalytic oxidation of SO2 was proposed based on the experimental results, and the prepared composites may have potential application for the SO2 removal in actual life.

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