Electrosorption of phenolic compounds by carbon sheet electrode from zinc chloride functionalized activated carbon from pomegranate husk

Abstract

The biomass waste from pomegranate husk (PH) was utilized to develop carbon sheet electrode via the chemical and thermal activation approach and the electrode was used to remove 4-chlorophenol (4CP) from the aqueous solution. The effect of solution pH, ionic strength, applied voltage, contact time, and 4CP concentration were investigated to observe the highest 4CP removal efficiency of the biomass derived material at pH 6.0, applied voltage of 1.5 V, ionic strength of 0.85 mM, and contact time of 270 min. The increased applied voltage led to 4CP removal efficiency up to 95.38 ± 4.77 at 1.5 V with 60 min contact time, nearly-two-times higher than that observed at the open circuit (62.33 ± 3.12 ). The removal efficiency of 4CP sharply decreased from 96.63 ± 1.93 to 49.34 ± 1.48 with increasing initial 4CP concentration (50.0–200.0 mg/L). Experimental data were fitted to Freundlich isotherm according to which high sorption capacity of carbon electrode equivalent to 325.85 mg/g at 1.5 V of the applied voltage was observed. The fabricated carbon electrode offered a great potential for the removal of other phenolics from the possible biomass via sorption approach. © 2022 Elsevier B.V.