Carbon and graphene quantum dots based architectonics for efficient aqueous decontamination by adsorption chromatography technique - Current state and prospects.

Aquatic ecosystems and potable water are being exploited and depleted due to urbanization and the encouragement of extensive industrialization, which induces the scarcity of pure water. However, current decontamination methods are limited and inefficient. Various innovative remediation strategies with novel nanomaterials have recently been demonstrated for wastewater treatment. Carbon dots (C-dots) and graphene quantum dots (GQ-dots) are the most recent frontiers in carbon nanomaterial-based adsorption studies. C-dots are extremely small (1-10 nm) quasi-spherical carbon nanoparticles (mostly sp3 hybridized carbon), whereas GQ-dots are fragments of graphene (1-20 nm) composed of primarily sp2 hybridized carbon. This article highlights the function of C-dots and GQ-dots with their specifications and characteristics for the efficient removal of organic and inorganic contaminants in water via adsorption chromatography. The alteration of adsorption attributes with the hybrid blending of these dots has been critically analyzed. Moreover, various top-down and bottom-up approaches for synthesizing C-dots and GQ-dots, which ultimately affect their morphology and structure, are described in detail. Finally, we review the research deficit in the adsorption of diverse pollutants, fabrication challenges, low molecular weight, self-agglomeration, and the future of the dots by providing research prospects and selectivity and sensitivity perspectives, the importance of post-adsorption optimization strategies and the path toward scalability at the tail of the article.

An Alkyne-Bridged Covalent Organic Framework Featuring Interactive Pockets for Bromine Capture.

The high degree of corrosivity and reactivity of bromine, which is released from various sources, poses a serious threat to the environment. Moreover, its coexistence with iodine forming an equilibrium compound, iodine monobromide (IBr) necessitates the selective capture of bromine from halogen mixtures. The electrophilicity of halogens to π-electron rich structures enabled us to strategically design a covalent organic framework for halogen capture, featuring a defined pore environment with localized sorption sites. The higher capture capacity of bromine (4.6 g g-1) over iodine by ~41 % shows its potential in selective capture. Spectroscopic results uncovering the preferential interaction sites are supported by theoretical investigations. The alkyne bridge is a core functionality promoting the selectivity in capture by synergistic physisorption, rationalized by the higher orbital overlap of bromine due to its smaller atomic size as well as reversible chemical interactions. The slip stacking in the structure has further promoted this phenomenon by creating clusters of molecular interaction sites with bromine intercalated between the layers. The inclusion of unsaturated moieties, i.e. triple bonds and the complementary pore geometry offer a promising design strategy for the construction of porous materials for halogen capture.

Pollution-free interface of 2D-MoS2/1D-CuO vdWs heterojunction for high-performance photodetector.

Van der Waals heterostructures provide a new opportunity for constructing new structures and improving the performance of electronic and optoelectronic devices. However, the existing methods of constructing heterojunctions are still faced with problems such as impurity introduction, or complex preparation process and limited scope of application. Herein, a physisorption method is proposed to composite CuO nanorods on the surface of MoS2nanosheets. CuO nanorods and MoS2form type-Ⅱ heterojunctions, which promotes the separation and transport of photo-generated charge carriers. More importantly, compared with the transfer and coating methods, the physical adsorption method avoids the introduction of auxiliary materials during the whole process of constructing the heterojunction, and therefore effectively reduces the damage and pollution at the interface. The optimized MoS2/CuO heterojunction photodetector achieves a high photoresponsivity of ∼680.1 A W-1and a fast response speed of ∼29µs. The results demonstrate that the physisorption method provides a feasible approach to realize high performance photodetectors with pollution-free interfaces, and it can also be extended to the development of other low-dimensional hybrid heterojunction electronic and optoelectronic devices.

Mechanistic evaluation in the removal of chlorpheniramine and ciprofloxacin on activated carbons.

Chlorpheniramine (CPM) and Ciprofloxacin (CIP) adsorption onto a granular (GAC) and pelletized activated carbon (PAC) analyzing the physicochemical mechanisms involved using the carbon's characterization were studied. Adsorption isotherm studies were performed at temperatures of 25 °C at pH values of 4, 7 and 9 and at 45 °C at a pH of 7. The characterization demonstrated that GAC has a predominantly acid character due to its predominantly negative surface charge and acidic site concentration alongside the characteristic bands detected in the X-ray Photoemission Spectroscopy (XPS) study. On the other hand, PAC presented a mostly basic character due to its positive surface charge and basic site concentrations. The adsorption isotherm studies demonstrated that the Freundlich isotherm better described the equilibrium data with an average deviation percentage of 7.45 and 6.74 for GAC and PAC. The temperature and desorption studies demonstrated that the adsorption process occurs through a chemisorption mechanism, and the pH study alongside the GAC and PAC characterization demonstrated that the mechanisms involved are a combination of electrostatic interactions and pi-pi interactions between the CPM and CIP molecules and the carbon's surface. These results demonstrate that the adsorption process of these pharmaceutical compounds is done through a combination of physical and chemical interactions.

Assessment of density functional approximations for N2 and CO2 physisorption on benzene and graphene.

Experimental isotherms of N2 and CO2 on carbon-based porous materials and models of the physisorption of gases on surfaces are used to obtain the pore size distribution (PSD). An accurate modelization of the physisorption of N2 and CO2 on the surface of carbon-based porous materials is important to obtain accurate N2 and CO2 storage capacities and reliable PSDs. Physisorption depends on the dispersion interactions. High precision ab initio methods, such as CCSD(T), consider accurately the dispersion interactions, but they are computationally expensive. Double hybrid, hybrid and DFT-based methods are much less expensive. In the case of graphene, there are experimental data of the adsorption of N2 and CO2 on graphite that can be used to build the Steele interaction potential of these gases on graphene. The goal is to find out hybrid and/or DFT methods that are as accurate as the CCSD(T) on benzene and as accurate as the experimental results on graphene. Calculations of the interaction energy curves of N2 and CO2 on benzene and graphene have been carried out using the CCSD(T) method and several double hybrid, hybrid, and DFT methods that consider the dispersion interactions. The energy curves on benzene have been compared to the CCSD(T) and the energy curves on graphene have been compared with the Steele energy curves. The comparisons indicate that double hybrids with dispersion corrections and ωB97 based DFT methods are accurate enough for benzene. For graphene, only the PBE-XDM functional has a good agreement with the Steele energy curves.

Exploiting Phase Transitions in Catalysis: Adsorption of CO on doped VO2 -Polymorphs.

VO2 is well known for its low-temperature metal-insulator transition between two phases with tetragonal rutile and monoclinic structure. The adsorption of CO on the two polymorphs of Mo-doped VO2 is calculated to investigate the effect of a substrate phase change on the adsorption energy. The system is investigated theoretically at density-functional theory level using a hybrid functional with London dispersion correction. We establish a computational protocol applicable for the study of physisorption on open-shell transition metal oxides. The main task is to control the spin state of open-shell slab models used to model adsorption of closed-shell molecules in order to obtain numerically stable adsorption energies and to reduce spin contamination within the broken-symmetry unrestricted Kohn-Sham approximation. Applying this procedure, it is possible to identify the most stable adsorption positions of CO on both phases of VO2 . CO adsorbs vertically with the C atom on a surface V atom in the monoclinic phase with an adsorption energy of -56 kJ/mol. The same adsorption position has an adsorption energy of only -46 kJ/mol on the rutile phase. Similar differences were obtained with multireference methods using an embedded cluster model. This effect may inspire experimental strategies exploiting the rutile ↔ ${ \leftrightarrow }$ monoclinic VO2 phase transition in catalytic processes where CO is formed as product or as an intermediate.

The First Sulfate-Pillared Hybrid Ultramicroporous Material, SOFOUR-1-Zn, and Its Acetylene Capture Properties.

Hybrid ultramicroporous materials, HUMs, are comprised of metal cations linked by combinations of inorganic and organic ligands. Their modular nature makes them amenable to crystal engineering studies, which have thus far afforded four HUM platforms (as classified by the inorganic linkers). HUMs are of practical interest because of their benchmark gas separation performance for several industrial gas mixtures. We report herein design and gram-scale synthesis of the prototypal sulfate-linked HUM, the fsc topology coordination network ([Zn(tepb)(SO4 )]n ), SOFOUR-1-Zn, tepb=(tetra(4-pyridyl)benzene). Alignment of the sulfate anions enables strong binding to C2 H2 via O⋅⋅⋅HC interactions but weak CO2 binding, affording a new benchmark for the difference between C2 H2 and CO2 heats of sorption at low loading (ΔQst =24 kJ mol-1 ). Dynamic column breakthrough studies afforded fuel-grade C2 H2 from trace (1 : 99) or 1 : 1 C2 H2 /CO2 mixtures, outperforming its SiF6 2- analogue, SIFSIX-22-Zn.

Three-in-One C2 H2 -Selectivity-Guided Adsorptive Separation across an Isoreticular Family of Cationic Square-Lattice MOFs.

Energy-efficient selective physisorption driven C2 H2 separation from industrial C2-C1 impurities such as C2 H4 , CO2 and CH4 is of great importance in the purification of downstream commodity chemicals. We address this challenge employing a series of isoreticular cationic metal-organic frameworks, namely iMOF-nC (n=5, 6, 7). All three square lattice topology MOFs registered higher C2 H2 uptakes versus the competing C2-C1 gases (C2 H4 , CO2 and CH4 ). Dynamic column breakthrough experiments on the best-performing iMOF-6C revealed the first three-in-one C2 H2 adsorption selectivity guided separation of C2 H2 from 1:1 C2 H2 /CO2 , C2 H2 /C2 H4 and C2 H2 /CH4 mixtures. Density functional theory calculations critically examined the C2 H2 selective interactions in iMOF-6C. Thanks to the abundance of square lattice topology MOFs, this study introduces a crystal engineering blueprint for designing C2 H2 -selective layered metal-organic physisorbents, previously unreported in cationic frameworks.

Increasing the Complexity in the MIL-53 Structure: The Combination of the Mixed-Metal and the Mixed-Linker Concepts.

The isoreticular mixed-component concept is a promising approach to tailor the material properties of metal-organic frameworks. While isoreticular mixed-metal or mixed-linker materials are commonly synthesized, the combination of both concepts for the development of isoreticular materials featuring both two metals and two linkers is still rarely investigated. Herein, we present the development of mixed-metal/mixed-linker MIL-53 materials that contain different metal combinations (Al/Sc, Al/V, Al/Cr, Al/Fe) and different linker ratios (terephthalate/2-aminoterephthalate). The possibility of changing the metal combination and the linker ratio independently from each other enables a large variety of modifications. A thorough characterization (PXRD, ATR-IR, TGA, 1 H NMR, ICP-OES) confirmed that all components were incorporated into the framework structure with a statistical distribution. Nitrogen physisorption measurements showed that the breathing behavior can be tailored by adjusting the linker ratio for all metal combinations. All materials were successfully used for post-synthetic modification reactions with maleic anhydride.

Changes in adsorption mechanisms of radioactive barium, cobalt, and strontium ions using spent coffee waste biochars via alkaline chemical activation: Enrichment effects of O-containing functional groups.

The single adsorption of radioactive barium (Ba(II)), cobalt (Co(II)), and strontium (Sr(II)) ions using pristine (SCWB-P) and chemically activated spent coffee waste biochars with NaOH (SCWB-A) were thoroughly explored in order to provide deeper insights into the changes in their adsorption mechanisms through alkaline chemical activation. The greater removal efficiencies of SCWB-A (76.6-97.3%) than SCWB-P (45.6-75.2%) and the consistency between the adsorptive removal patterns (Ba(II) > Sr(II) > Co(II)) and oxygen bond dissociation enthalpies (BaO (562 kJ/mol) > SrO (426 kJ/mol) > CoO (397 kJ/mol)) of radioactive species supported the assumption that the adsorption removal of radioactive species with spent coffee waste biochars highly depended on the abundances of O-containing functional groups. The calculated R2 values of the pseudo-first-order (SCWB-P = 0.998-0.999; SCWB-A = 0.850-0.921) and pseudo-second-order kinetic models (SCWB-P = 0.988-0.998; SCWB-A = 0.935-0.966) are evident that the physisorption mainly controlled the adsorption of radioactive species toward SCWB-P and the chemisorption played a crucial role in their adsorptive removal with SCWB-A. From the calculated intra-particle diffusion, isotherm, thermodynamic parameters, it can be concluded that the intra-particle diffusion and monolayer adsorption primarily governed the adsorption of radioactive species using SCWB-P and SCWB-A, and their adsorption processes occurred spontaneously and endothermically. The dominant adsorption mechanism of spent coffee waste biochars was changed from physisorption (ΔH° of SCWB-P = 21.6-29.8 kJ/mol) to chemisorption (ΔH° of SCWB-A = 42.4-81.3 kJ/mol) through alkaline chemical activation. The distinctive M-OH peak in the O1s XPS spectra of SCWB-A directly corresponding to the decrease in the abundances of O-containing functional groups confirms again that the enrichment of O-containing functional groups markedly facilitated the adsorption removal of radioactive species by chemisorption occurred at the inner and outer surfaces of spent coffee waste biochars.

Reversible Room Temperature H2 Gas Sensing Based on Self-Assembled Cobalt Oxysulfide.

Reversible H2 gas sensing at room temperature has been highly desirable given the booming of the Internet of Things (IoT), zero-emission vehicles, and fuel cell technologies. Conventional metal oxide-based semiconducting gas sensors have been considered as suitable candidates given their low-cost, high sensitivity, and long stability. However, the dominant sensing mechanism is based on the chemisorption of gas molecules which requires elevated temperatures to activate the catalytic reaction of target gas molecules with chemisorbed O, leaving the drawbacks of high-power consumption and poor selectivity. In this work, we introduce an alternative candidate of cobalt oxysulfide derived from the calcination of self-assembled cobalt sulfide micro-cages. It is found that the majority of S atoms are replaced by O in cobalt oxysulfide, transforming the crystal structure to tetragonal coordination and slightly expanding the optical bandgap energy. The H2 gas sensing performances of cobalt oxysulfide are fully reversible at room temperature, demonstrating peculiar p-type gas responses with a magnitude of 15% for 1% H2 and a high degree of selectivity over CH4, NO2, and CO2. Such excellent performances are possibly ascribed to the physisorption dominating the gas-matter interaction. This work demonstrates the great potentials of transition metal oxysulfide compounds for room-temperature fully reversible gas sensing.

Effect of Washing Treatment on the Textural Properties and Bioactivity of Silica/Chitosan/TCP Xerogels for Bone Regeneration.

Silica/biopolymer hydrogel-based materials constitute very attractive platforms for various emerging biomedical applications, particularly for bone repair. The incorporation of calcium phosphates in the hybrid network allows for designing implants with interesting biological properties. Here, we introduce a synthesis procedure for obtaining silica-chitosan (CS)-tricalcium phosphate (TCP) xerogels, with CS nominal content varying from 4 to 40 wt.% and 10 to 20 wt.% TCP. Samples were obtained using the sol-gel process assisted with ultrasound probe, and the influence of ethanol or water as washing solvents on surface area, micro- and mesopore volume, and average pore size were examined in order to optimize their textural properties. Three washing solutions with different soaking conditions were tested: 1 or 7 days in absolute ethanol and 30 days in distilled water, resulting in E1, E7, and W30 washing series, respectively. Soaked samples were eventually dried by evaporative drying at air ambient pressure, and the formation of interpenetrated hybrid structures was suggested by Fourier transformed infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. In addition the impact that both washing solvent and TCP content have on the biodegradation, in vitro bioactivity and osteoconduction of xerogels were explored. It was found that calcium and phosphate-containing ethanol-washed xerogels presented in vitro release of calcium (2-12 mg/L) and silicon ions (~60-75 mg/L) after one week of soaking in phosphate-buffered saline (PBS), as revealed by inductive coupled plasma (ICP) spectroscopy analysis. However, only the release of silicon was detected for water-washed samples. Besides, all the samples exhibited in vitro bioactivity in simulated body fluid (SBF), as well as enhanced in vitro cell growth and also significant focal adhesion development and maturation.

About the Dominance of Mesopores in Physisorption in Amorphous Materials.

Amorphous, porous materials represent by far the largest proportion of natural and men-made materials. Their pore networks consists of a wide range of pore sizes, including meso- and macropores. Within such a pore network, material moisture plays a crucial role in almost all transport processes. In the hygroscopic range, the pores are partially saturated and liquid water is only located at the pore fringe due to physisorption. Therefore, material parameters such as porosity or median pore diameter are inadequate to predict material moisture and moisture transport. To quantify the spatial distribution of material moisture, Hillerborg's adsorption theory is used to predict the water layer thickness for different pore geometries. This is done for all pore sizes, including those in the lower nanometre range. Based on this approach, it is shown that the material moisture is almost completely located in mesopores, although the pore network is highly dominated by macropores. Thus, mesopores are mainly responsible for the moisture storage capacity, while macropores determine the moisture transport capacity, of an amorphous material. Finally, an electrical analogical circuit is used as a model to predict the diffusion coefficient based on the pore-size distribution, including physisorption.

Amino-Functionalised Hybrid Ultramicroporous Materials that Enable Single-Step Ethylene Purification from a Ternary Mixture.

Pyrazine-linked hybrid ultramicroporous (pore size <7 Å) materials (HUMs) offer benchmark performance for trace carbon capture thanks to strong selectivity for CO2 over small gas molecules, including light hydrocarbons. That the prototypal pyrazine-linked HUMs are amenable to crystal engineering has enabled second generation HUMs to supersede the performance of the parent HUM, SIFSIX-3-Zn, mainly through substitution of the metal and/or the inorganic pillar. Herein, we report that two isostructural aminopyrazine-linked HUMs, MFSIX-17-Ni (17=aminopyrazine; M=Si, Ti), which we had anticipated would offer even stronger affinity for CO2 than their pyrazine analogs, unexpectedly exhibit reduced CO2 affinity but enhanced C2 H2 affinity. MFSIX-17-Ni are consequently the first physisorbents that enable single-step production of polymer-grade ethylene (>99.95 % for SIFSIX-17-Ni) from a ternary equimolar mixture of ethylene, acetylene and CO2 thanks to coadsorption of the latter two gases. We attribute this performance to the very different binding sites in MFSIX-17-Ni versus SIFSIX-3-Zn.

Benchmark Acetylene Binding Affinity and Separation through Induced Fit in a Flexible Hybrid Ultramicroporous Material.

Structural changes at the active site of an enzyme induced by binding to a substrate molecule can result in enhanced activity in biological systems. Herein, we report that the new hybrid ultramicroporous material sql-SIFSIX-bpe-Zn exhibits an induced fit binding mechanism when exposed to acetylene, C2 H2 . The resulting phase change affords exceptionally strong C2 H2 binding that in turn enables highly selective C2 H2 /C2 H4 and C2 H2 /CO2 separation demonstrated by dynamic breakthrough experiments. sql-SIFSIX-bpe-Zn was observed to exhibit at least four phases: as-synthesised (α); activated (ß); and C2 H2 induced phases (ß' and γ). sql-SIFSIX-bpe-Zn-ß exhibited strong affinity for C2 H2 at ambient conditions as demonstrated by benchmark isosteric heat of adsorption (Qst ) of 67.5 kJ mol-1 validated through in situ pressure gradient differential scanning calorimetry (PG-DSC). Further, in situ characterisation and DFT calculations provide insight into the mechanism of the C2 H2 induced fit transformation, binding positions and the nature of host-guest and guest-guest interactions.

Morphological and Elastic Transition of Polystyrene Adsorbed Layers on Silicon Oxide.

Herein we present a study on the formation of irreversibly adsorbed layer of polystyrene molecules on silicon oxide surfaces. Various scanning probe microscopy techniques have been employed to study both the morphology and the mechanical properties of these self-assembled thin polymeric layers. More in detail, standard contact mode, force versus distance spectroscopy and ultrasonic force microscopy have been employed to obtain spatially-resolved maps and, thus, observe the physisorption of polystyrene on native silicon oxide substrate in function of time. Thick films, spin coated from a toluene solution, have been annealed at a temperature above the glass transition for increasing time intervals, and finally thoroughly rinsed in toluene. We have found that isolated islands of adsorbed chains are already present after an annealing time of half an hour. Prolonged annealing determines a progressive increase of the covered areas, whereas the formation of a complete flat layer requires 24 h. The pattern observed is in line with expected evolution of an unstable system, corresponding to the phenomenon of spinodal dewetting. Adhesion measurements show that the films present a reduced snap-off and the formation of a meniscus between tip and surface for annealing time up to 8 h. On the other hand, elastic measurements allow us to observe a progressive increase of the elastic modulus, with a complete transition for annealing time above 20 h. This is indication that a dense packing of the polystyrene molecules occurs, in line with the predictions of current models on the kinetics of irreversible adsorption. LAY DESCRIPTION: Herein we present a study on the formation of irreversibly adsorbed layer of polystyrene molecules on silicon oxide surfaces. Various scanning probe microscopy techniques have been employed to study both the morphology and the mechanical properties of these self-assembled thin polymeric layers. Thick polystyrene films, spin coated from a toluene solution, have been thermally annealed at a temperature above the glass transition for increasing time intervals, and finally thoroughly rinsed in toluene. We have found that isolated islands of adsorbed chains are already present after an annealing time of half an hour. Prolonged annealing determines a progressive increase of the covered areas, whereas the formation of a complete flat layer requires twenty-four hours. The adsorption pattern observed is in line with expected evolution of an unstable system, corresponding to the phenomenon of spinodal dewetting. Adhesion and elastic measurements have allowed us to observe a progressive increase of the packing density of the polystyrene molecules, in agreement with the predictions of current models on the kinetics of irreversible adsorption.

Ultramicropore Engineering by Dehydration to Enable Molecular Sieving of H2 by Calcium Trimesate.

The high energy footprint of commodity gas purification and increasing demand for gases require new approaches to gas separation. Kinetic separation of gas mixtures through molecular sieving can enable separation by molecular size or shape exclusion. Physisorbents must exhibit the right pore diameter to enable separation, but the 0.3-0.4 nm range relevant to small gas molecules is hard to control. Herein, dehydration of the ultramicroporous metal-organic framework Ca-trimesate, Ca(HBTC)⋅H2 O (H3 BTC=trimesic acid), bnn-1-Ca-H2 O, affords a narrow pore variant, Ca(HBTC), bnn-1-Ca. Whereas bnn-1-Ca-H2 O (pore diameter 0.34 nm) exhibits ultra-high CO2 /N2 , CO2 /CH4 , and C2 H2 /C2 H4 binary selectivity, bnn-1-Ca (pore diameter 0.31 nm) offers ideal selectivity for H2 /CO2 and H2 /N2 under cryogenic conditions. Ca-trimesate, the first physisorbent to exhibit H2 sieving under cryogenic conditions, could be a prototype for a general approach to exert precise control over pore diameter in physisorbents.

Microporous Organically Pillared Layered Silicates (MOPS): A Versatile Class of Functional Porous Materials.

The design of microporous hybrid materials, tailored for diverse applications, is a key to address our modern society's imperative of sustainable technologies. Prerequisites are flexible customization of host-guest interactions by incorporating various types of functionality and by adjusting the pore structure. On that score, metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) have been the reference in the past decades. More recently, a new class of microporous hybrid materials emerged, microporous organically pillared layered silicates (MOPS). MOPS are synthesized by simple ion exchange of organic or metal complex cations in synthetic layered silicates. MOFs and MOPSs share the features of "component modularity" and "functional porosity". While both, MOFs and MOPS maintain the intrinsic characteristics of their building blocks, new distinctive properties arise from their assemblage. MOPS are unique since allowing for simultaneous and continuous tuning of micropores in the sub-Ångström range. Consequently, with MOPS the adsorbent recognition may be optimized without the need to explore different framework topologies. Similar to the third generation of MOFs (also termed soft porous crystals), MOPS are structurally ordered, permanently microporous solids that may also show a reversible structural flexibility above a distinct threshold pressure of certain adsorbents. This structural dynamism of MOPS can be utilized by meticulously adjusting the charge density of the silicate layers to the polarizability of the adsorbent leading to different gate opening mechanisms. The potential of MOPS is far from being fully explored. This Concept article highlights the main features of MOPS and illustrates promising directions for further research.

3D Mapping of Gas Physisorption for the Spatial Characterisation of Nanoporous Materials.

Nanoporous materials used in industrial applications (e. g., catalysis and separations) draw their functionality from properties at the nanoscale (1-10 Å). When shaped into a technical form these solids reveal spatial variations in the same properties over much larger length scales (1 µm-1 cm). The multiscale characterization of these systems is impaired by the trade-off between sample size and image resolution that is bound to the use of most imaging techniques. We show here the application of X-ray computed tomography for the non-invasive spatial characterization of a zeolite/activated carbon adsorbent bed across three orders of magnitude in scale. Through the unique combination of gas adsorption isotherms measured locally and their interpretation by physisorption analysis, we determine three-dimensional maps of the specific surface area and micropore volume. We further use machine learning to identify and locate the materials within the packed bed. This novel ability to reveal the extent of heterogeneity in technical porous solids will enable a deeper understanding of their function in industrial reactors. Such developments are essential towards bridging the gap between material research and process design.

Municipal solid waste-derived biochar for the removal of benzene from landfill leachate.

The potential of biochar, produced from fibrous organic fractions of municipal solid waste (MSW), for remediation of benzene, one of the frequently found toxic volatile organic compounds in landfill leachate, was investigated in this study based on various environmental conditions such as varying pH, benzene concentration, temperature and time. At the same time, landfill leachate quality parameters were assessed at two different dump sites in Sri Lanka: Gohagoda and Kurunegala. MSW biochar (MSW-BC) was produced by slow temperature pyrolysis at 450 °C, and the physiochemical characteristics of the MSW-BC were characterized. All the leachate samples from the MSW dump sites exceeded the World Health Organization permissible level for benzene (5 µg/L) in water. Removal of benzene was increased with increasing pH, with the highest removal observed at ~pH 9. The maximum adsorption capacity of 576 µg/g was reported at room temperature (~25 °C). Both Freundlich and Langmuir models fitted best with the equilibrium isotherm data, suggesting the involvement of both physisorption and chemisorption mechanisms. Thermodynamic data indicated the feasibility of benzene adsorption and its high favorability at higher temperatures. The values of [Formula: see text] suggested physical interactions between sorbate and sorbent, whereas kinetic data implied a significant contribution of chemisorption. Results obtained from FTIR provided clear evidence of the involvement of functional groups in biochar for benzene adsorption. This study suggests that MSW biochar could be a possible remedy for benzene removal from landfill leachate and at the same time MSW can be a potential source to produce biochar which acts as a prospective material to remediate its pollutants while reducing the volume of waste.