Fabrication of a hierarchically structured carbon composite for highly efficient toluene adsorption from wastewater
摘要
Carbon-based polymer nanospheres, with their high specific surface area, and micron-scale microspheres, known for their abundant pore structures, are both considered promising materials for the adsorption and removal of aquatic pollutants. To integrate the advantages of both, this study successfully constructed a hierarchically structured composite material (CSM-NCS) by chemically grafting nanospheres onto the surface of micron-scale microspheres. Microscopic and macroscopic characterization revealed that the material employs micron-sized microspheres as carriers, while nanospheres act as enrichment units. This design imparts both a high specific surface area and a multi-level pore architecture, leading to significantly enhanced adsorption performance. The adsorption capacity of the composite for toluene in wastewater reached 455.81 mg/g, with rapid uptake occurring within the first 20 min and saturation achieved after 50 min. The adsorption process followed the Langmuir isotherm model and pseudo-second-order kinetics. In summary, the CSM-NCS composite demonstrates considerable potential for application in wastewater pollutant remediation.