Efficiency of Adsorbents Containing Various Carbon Allotropes, Including Modified Carbon Nanotubes

Abstract

The adsorption of toxic ions Be(II), Bi(III), Cd(II), Cr(III), and Pb(II), and also noble metals Ag(I), Au(III), and Pd(II), from aqueous solutions is studied using carbon nanotubes (CNTs), a magnetic nanosorbent composed of CNTs and magnetic nanoparticles (CNT@MNP), and activated carbon (AC). An advantage of CNT-based adsorbents over AC in terms of capacity was demonstrated, with an increase of approximately 1.5–2 times. The adsorption capacity of the synthesized magnetic adsorbent depends on the morphology of CNTs grown on iron subgroup catalysts: nickel (CNT(Ni)), cobalt (CNT(Co)), and iron (CNT(Fe)). CNT@MNP exhibited superior performance over other carbon adsorbents in magnetic solid-phase extraction, effectively separating solid and liquid phases. Additionally, composite adsorbents containing CNT(Co) and CNT(Fe) were noted for their cost-effectiveness, as they yielded satisfactory results, surpassed those obtained with the individual CNT-based adsorbents. Procedures were developed using these carbon adsorbents and their performance in the determination of elements in aqueous solutions by arc atomic emission spectrometry was estimated.