Influence of super activated renewable carbon (SARC) on the adsorption of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in low-carbon composites (LCCs)

This is the first study of the adsorption of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) onto super activated renewable carbon (SARC), so as to maximize the odor removal during the low-carbon composites (LCCs) compounding. Three different sized SARC samples were prepared by alkali (NaOH) modification of coconut-shell derived renewable carbon: small (S-SARC), medium (M-SARC) and large (L-SARC). Their structural properties were investigated to explore their performance on VOCs removal. The migration behavior of SARC particles was simulated to homogenize the particles’ distribution for better contact with VOCs molecules. The adsorption was evaluated by gas chromatography-mass spectroscopy (GC/MS) to quantify the emitted VOCs. Both Langmuir and Freundlich isotherms were applied, and the influence of chemical and physical properties of SARC on the adsorption capacity were compared. The results confirmed the dominant chemical adsorption, and Freundlich adsorption isotherm was suggested under the circumstances of high temperature compounding. Thus, using SARC, especially S-SARC can significantly enhance the removal of odorous VOCs and promote the LCCs in substituting the fossil-based plastics.