Lin Jia-Yin, Shi Jun-Ren, Liu Fu-Chen, Wang Chih-Ying, Liu Fan-Wei, Lin Chi-Ming
Semiconductor and Green Technology Program, Academy of Circular Economy, National Chung Hsing University, Taichung 402, Taiwan.
Industrial and Smart Technology Program, Academy of Circular Economy, National Chung Hsing University, Taichung 402, Taiwan.
ACS Omega. 2025 Apr 14;10(15):14994-15008. doi: 10.1021/acsomega.4c10226. eCollection 2025 Apr 22.
Heavy metal pollutants, such as Cu, pose significant environmental and health risks due to their toxicity and persistence in water systems. Simultaneously, the increasing accumulation of waste poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) bottles represents a growing environmental challenge, contributing to plastic pollution. This study addresses both issues by converting waste PET bottles into porous activated carbon (APC) via pyrolysis, creating an efficient and sustainable adsorbent for Cu removal from aqueous solutions. The APC materials were thoroughly characterized by SEM, BET, and XPS analyses, revealing a highly porous structure and abundant oxygen-containing functional groups, which enhance Cu adsorption. The adsorption process was determined to be spontaneous, with a low activation energy of 7.47 kJ/mol, indicating a favorable and energy-efficient adsorption mechanism. Among the APC samples, APC-800 exhibited the best performance, achieving a Cu removal efficiency of 99.30% and a maximum adsorption capacity of 5.85 mg/g. Recyclability tests confirmed the material's durability, maintaining over 96% efficiency during the first three cycles, with a slight decline in later cycles. This study demonstrates a dual environmental benefit: mitigating plastic waste by repurposing PET bottles and providing an effective solution for heavy metal pollution, aligning with circular economy principles, and promoting sustainability in environmental management.
铜等重金属污染物因其毒性以及在水系统中的持久性而带来重大的环境和健康风险。与此同时，废弃聚对苯二甲酸乙二酯（PET）瓶的堆积日益增多，这对环境构成了越来越大的挑战，加剧了塑料污染。本研究通过热解将废弃PET瓶转化为多孔活性炭（APC），从而解决这两个问题，制得一种高效且可持续的吸附剂，用于从水溶液中去除铜。通过扫描电子显微镜（SEM）、比表面积分析仪（BET）和X射线光电子能谱仪（XPS）分析对APC材料进行了全面表征，结果显示其具有高度多孔的结构和丰富的含氧官能团，这些增强了对铜的吸附。吸附过程被确定为自发过程，活化能低至7.47 kJ/mol，表明吸附机制良好且节能。在APC样品中，APC - 800表现出最佳性能，铜去除效率达到99.30%，最大吸附容量为5.85 mg/g。可回收性测试证实了该材料的耐用性，在前三个循环中效率保持在96%以上，后续循环中略有下降。本研究展示了双重环境效益：通过将PET瓶重新利用来减轻塑料废物，并为重金属污染提供有效解决方案，符合循环经济原则，促进环境管理的可持续性。
