The role of Vorasurf 504 surfactant in the production of large mesoporous carbon using solvent-free method and its application in the removal of emergent contaminants

• Published in: Microporous and mesoporous materials Vol. 376; p. 113195
• Main Authors: Silva, Rayane Cristian Ferreira, Bazan, Selma Fabiana, Pereira, Sarah David, Pinto, Paula Sevenini, Lima, Guilherme Ferreira de, Teixeira, Ana Paula de Carvalho
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier Inc 01.08.2024
• Subjects: Emerging contaminants; Mechanochemistry; Self-assembly; Self-assembly; Mechanochemistry; Emerging contaminants
• ISSN: 1387-1811; 1873-3093
• DOI: 10.1016/j.micromeso.2024.113195

This work reports using the solvent-free method for the first time in the literature using the surfactant Vorasurf504 (V504) to produce mesoporous carbons (MC). In addition to V504, resorcinol was used as a carbon source, and terephthalaldehyde as a cross-linking agent. Three materials were produced with different proportions of resorcinol: V504, 1:1 (R1V), 1:2 (R2V), and 1:3 (R3V). V504 enabled the production of large mesoporous carbon, mainly for the materials with higher proportions of surfactant. The average pore diameters of the materials varied between 5 and 29 nm, and the mesopore volumes were on the order of 0.922 cm3 g−1. The three produced materials were applied to remove emerging contaminants (EC) with different structural dimensions: paracetamol (PA), atrazine (AT), tenofovir (TF), and ceftriaxone (CF). During the contact test, R2V and R3V showed removals above 90 % for all EC. However, due to its limited mesoporosity, the R1V material had its removal capacity reduced for contaminants of larger structural dimensions. Through kinetic and isotherm studies for systems involving paracetamol and ceftriaxone, it was proven that, in fact, not only the specific surface area but also the pore size and pore volume influence adsorption. As a result of this study, large mesoporous carbon could be produced using a surfactant that has not previously been investigated for the solvent-free method. Furthermore, the materials produced can be used as effective adsorbents for emerging contaminants of various structural dimensions. [Display omitted] •The first time the surfactant V504 was applied for the solvent-free method.•V504 generates materials with larger pore sizes compared to common surfactants.•The materials present removals greater than 90 % for contaminants.•For larger contaminants, pore diffusion exerts a great influence during adsorption.