Exploring the physical factors and chemical interactions involved in the adsorption of synthetic aromatic compounds by carbonaceous adsorbents

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Tanju KaranfilClemson UniversityProposal 0730694Exploring the physical factors and chemical interactions involved inThe adsorption of synthetic aromatic compounds by carbonaceous adsorbentThe industrial and technological expansion of our society over the past several decades resulted in improved standards of living. However, production of large volumes of various synthetic organic chemicals (SOCs) for different industrial and domestic uses has resulted in serious environmental problems. Among a number of SOCs of concern, aromatic hydrocarbons constitute an important class. The fate, transport and treatment of aromatic SOCs largely depend on their adsorption by natural (e.g., black carbon) or engineered (e.g., activated carbons, carbon fibers and carbon nanotubes) carbonaceous adsorbents. Therefore, a fundamental understanding of the important factors controlling the adsorption of aromatic SOCs by carbonaceous adsorbents is critical to predict their fate and transport in the environment, and to provide a fundamental basis for developing and utilizing tailored adsorbents to effectively remove them from aqueous and gas waste streams. The main objective of this research is to perform a systematic investigation to explore the physical factors and chemical interactions involved in the adsorption of aromatic SOCs by various carbonaceous adsorbents. The research will specifically investigate: (1) the physical factors affecting the adsorption of aromatic SOCs (e.g., the roles of molecular sizes and configurations of adsorbates as well as the topography of the graphene layers and the pore size distributions of the carbonaceous adsorbents), (2) the chemical interactions involved in the adsorption of aromatic hydrocarbons and their contributions in different adsorbate-adsorbent systems (e.g., the roles of dispersion, electron donor-acceptor and, n-electron donor-acceptor interactions, and the effects of introducing oxygen-containing surface groups to the electron density of adsorbent carbon basal plane), and (3) the interactions of water molecules with different adsorbent surfaces, and its influence on aromatic SOC adsorption.