Novel activated carbon from polyethylene terephthalate (PET) waste for sustainable freshwater production

IF 6.3 2区工程技术 Q1 ENGINEERING, CHEMICAL

Journal of water process engineering Pub Date : 2025-03-24 DOI:10.1016/j.jwpe.2025.107524

Dahiana Galeano-Caro , Oscar E. Medina , As A. Ríos , Farid Chejne , Nancy Acelas , Camilo A. Franco , Farid B. Cortés

{"title":"Novel activated carbon from polyethylene terephthalate (PET) waste for sustainable freshwater production","authors":"Dahiana Galeano-Caro , Oscar E. Medina , As A. Ríos , Farid Chejne , Nancy Acelas , Camilo A. Franco , Farid B. Cortés","doi":"10.1016/j.jwpe.2025.107524","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The primary objective of this study is to develop activated carbon derived from industrial polyethylene terephthalate (PET) waste for freshwater production through air dehumidification. Commercial activated carbon synthesized from agro-industrial coffee and coconut waste was also evaluated. The findings revealed that materials without surface acidification had a surface area of up to 1313 m<sup>2</sup>·g<sup>−1</sup>. In contrast, materials that underwent superficial modification showed a decrease in surface area of up to 65 % for those derived from coffee and coconut waste and 5 % for those from PET waste.</div><div>Adsorption experiments were conducted under relative humidity from 11 % to 84 % and temperatures of 293.15, 303.15, and 313.15 K, producing type IV isotherms per IUPAC classification, except for P800N (carbonized at 1073.15 K and acid-modified), which displayed type IV behavior owing to increased microporous volume and affinity for water. The highest adsorption capacity was recorded at 1.55 g‧g<sup>−1</sup> for P800N under 84 % relative humidity at 293.15 K. The thermodynamic analysis indicated a spontaneous exothermic sorption process. Field tests in Medellín, Colombia, demonstrated the practical performance of P800N in an adsorption/desorption device powered by solar energy, yielding approximately 0.9 g of condensed water per g of dry material. During these tests, the average relative humidity during adsorption was 80 %, with a wind speed of 2.3 m‧s<sup>−1</sup> at 293.15 K, and desorption occurred at an average temperature of 299.35 K. These results underscore the potential of PET-derived activated carbons to provide sustainable freshwater solutions in water-scarce environments, supporting circular economy principles, and contributing to social well-being in regions facing water scarcity challenges.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":17528,"journal":{"name":"Journal of water process engineering","volume":"72 ","pages":"Article 107524"},"PeriodicalIF":6.3000,"publicationDate":"2025-03-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Journal of water process engineering","FirstCategoryId":"5","ListUrlMain":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2214714425005963","RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q1","JCRName":"ENGINEERING, CHEMICAL","Score":null,"Total":0}

引用次数: 0

Abstract

The primary objective of this study is to develop activated carbon derived from industrial polyethylene terephthalate (PET) waste for freshwater production through air dehumidification. Commercial activated carbon synthesized from agro-industrial coffee and coconut waste was also evaluated. The findings revealed that materials without surface acidification had a surface area of up to 1313 m²·g⁻¹. In contrast, materials that underwent superficial modification showed a decrease in surface area of up to 65 % for those derived from coffee and coconut waste and 5 % for those from PET waste.

Adsorption experiments were conducted under relative humidity from 11 % to 84 % and temperatures of 293.15, 303.15, and 313.15 K, producing type IV isotherms per IUPAC classification, except for P800N (carbonized at 1073.15 K and acid-modified), which displayed type IV behavior owing to increased microporous volume and affinity for water. The highest adsorption capacity was recorded at 1.55 g‧g⁻¹ for P800N under 84 % relative humidity at 293.15 K. The thermodynamic analysis indicated a spontaneous exothermic sorption process. Field tests in Medellín, Colombia, demonstrated the practical performance of P800N in an adsorption/desorption device powered by solar energy, yielding approximately 0.9 g of condensed water per g of dry material. During these tests, the average relative humidity during adsorption was 80 %, with a wind speed of 2.3 m‧s⁻¹ at 293.15 K, and desorption occurred at an average temperature of 299.35 K. These results underscore the potential of PET-derived activated carbons to provide sustainable freshwater solutions in water-scarce environments, supporting circular economy principles, and contributing to social well-being in regions facing water scarcity challenges.

Abstract Image

查看原文本刊更多论文

求助全文

约1分钟内获得全文求助全文

来源期刊

Journal of water process engineering Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology-Biotechnology

CiteScore

10.70

自引率

8.60%

发文量

846

审稿时长

24 days

期刊介绍： The Journal of Water Process Engineering aims to publish refereed, high-quality research papers with significant novelty and impact in all areas of the engineering of water and wastewater processing . Papers on advanced and novel treatment processes and technologies are particularly welcome. The Journal considers papers in areas such as nanotechnology and biotechnology applications in water, novel oxidation and separation processes, membrane processes (except those for desalination) , catalytic processes for the removal of water contaminants, sustainable processes, water reuse and recycling, water use and wastewater minimization, integrated/hybrid technology, process modeling of water treatment and novel treatment processes. Submissions on the subject of adsorbents, including standard measurements of adsorption kinetics and equilibrium will only be considered if there is a genuine case for novelty and contribution, for example highly novel, sustainable adsorbents and their use: papers on activated carbon-type materials derived from natural matter, or surfactant-modified clays and related minerals, would not fulfil this criterion. The Journal particularly welcomes contributions involving environmentally, economically and socially sustainable technology for water treatment, including those which are energy-efficient, with minimal or no chemical consumption, and capable of water recycling and reuse that minimizes the direct disposal of wastewater to the aquatic environment. Papers that describe novel ideas for solving issues related to water quality and availability are also welcome, as are those that show the transfer of techniques from other disciplines. The Journal will consider papers dealing with processes for various water matrices including drinking water (except desalination), domestic, urban and industrial wastewaters, in addition to their residues. It is expected that the journal will be of particular relevance to chemical and process engineers working in the field. The Journal welcomes Full Text papers, Short Communications, State-of-the-Art Reviews and Letters to Editors and Case Studies