Enhanced adsorption of atrazine on a coal-based activated carbon modified with sodium dodecyl benzene sulfonate under microwave heating

The concentrations of sodium dodecyl benzene sulfonate (SDBS), modification time and temperature were considered to be the specific factors that influence the SDBS-modified coal-based activated carbon (SCACs). The superior properties of the SCACs were assessed through the adsorption amount of atrazine under same conditions. The adsorption capacity of optimal sample (SCAC-10) that the CAC was modified in 50 ml of 0.6 mmol/l SDBS aqueous solution for 10 min under microwave heating (MWH) is superior. Compared with the CAC sample, the acidic functional groups of the SCAC-10 sample were reduced, thereby resulting in the increasing pH(pzc) value, the pore volume and specific surface area, and the elemental analysis results exhibited the O/C ratio of the SCAC-10 sample decreased from 0.41 to 0.38, which is consistent with X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analysis results. The kinetics of adsorption fitted with pseudo-second-order model perfectly, and the Langmuir model was suitable for the SCAC-10 samples with a maximum capacity of 222.22 mg/g. Results exhibited the modification of CAC by SDBS with MWH can effectively improve the adsorption capacity of the samples for atrazine. (C) 2017 Taiwan Institute of Chemical Engineers. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.