Enhanced adsorption of NO onto activated carbon by gas pre-magnetization.

The NO removal efficiency was relatively low in the traditional activated carbon adsorption process. In this work, a gas pre-magnetization and activated carbon adsorption process was developed to enhance the adsorption of NO onto activated carbon. In this innovative and green process, the mixed gas was magnetized in the external magnetic field and then absorbed by activated carbon. The results indicated that the maximal removal rate of NO could be increased from 75.0% to 89.5%, and the NO adsorption capacity of commercial activated carbon in one hour elevated from 2.28 to 2.60 mg/g when the magnetic induction intensity of external magnetic field increased from 0 T to 2 T. The strengthening mechanism of the gas pre-magnetization was investigated. It was found that magnetic field could elevate the oxidation rate of NO by 11.4% and thus promote the physical adsorption of NO onto activated carbon. External magnetic field could increase the reaction activity of NO and promote the chemical reaction between NO and some functional groups (CO, CO and COOH) on the activated carbon and thus promote the chemisorption process of NO.