Adsorption of two synthetic organic compounds (SOCs) by three single-walled
carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) was systematically studied under different water quality
conditions. For comparison, a microporous activated carbon fiber (ACF10) and a bimodal porous
granular activated carbon (HD4000) with similar surface chemistry were also employed in this
work. Experimental results demonstrate that the competition between SOCs and NOM uptakes
of adsorbents with similar surface affinity to water was not controlled by surface area or pore
volume but controlled by their pore size distributions. Both direct competition for adsorption
sites and pore blockage by NOM occurred in the adsorption of SOCs. For the microporous
ACF10, due to the inaccessibility of the small micropores to NOM macromolecules, pore
blockage predominated in the competition, whereas for the bimodal mesoporous HD4000, direct
site competition dominated, which led to a reduction in SOC uptake and in surface heterogeneity
of the adsorbent. Compared with ACF10 and HD4000, the effects of NOM preloading and
simultaneous adsorption on SWNTs were much weaker, implying that once released into natural
water body, SWNTs will adsorb a considerable amount of toxic SOCs and transfer them to other
systems by the transportation of the nanotubes. Compared with the effect of NOM, the effects of
ionic strength and pH of the bulk solution on the adsorption of SOCs on SWNTs were
insignificant. Includes 19 references, tables, figure.
| Edition : | Vol. - No. |
| File Size : | 1
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, 860 KB |
| Note : | This product is unavailable in Ukraine, Russia, Belarus |
| Number of Pages : | 8 |
| Published : | 11/01/2009 |
