Biopolymer-based N-doped carbonaceous bifunctional material for phenol removal: synergistic performance of adsorption and catalytic degradation

Abstract

The development of nontoxic, thermally and mechanically stable, efficient, metal-free carbonaceous materials has gained significant attention owing to their promising applications in adsorption and catalytic removal of organic pollutants. This study reports the synthesis of N-doped carbonaceous structures from chitosan coated sand particles calcined at 500-800 °C. The obtained materials, integrating low cost, scalablility, and environmental safety, were investigated as bifunctional composites for phenol degradation through the synergistic action of adsorption and peroxymonosulfate (PMS) activation. The structure and morphology of the composites were characterized by Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectra, scanning electron microscope (SEM), energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and Raman spectroscopy.Among the developed samples, the CCS-500 specimen calcined at 500 ℃ demonstrated the highest phenol adsorption and degradation efficiency, primarily due to its superior adsorption capacity. Under optimized conditions of catalyst dosage, PMS concentration, initial phenol concentration and pH, CCS-500 achieved nearly complete phenol removal. This superior performance is related to its elevated carbon content and the relatively low density of structural defects within its graphitic carbon.Water impactLow cost, nontoxic, stable, and scalable metal-free N-doped carbonaceous structures have been synthesized from chitosan coated sand particles. The obtained structures offered bifunctional composites for complete phenol removal from wastewater via the synergistic action of adsorption and PMS activation.