Sericin-derived activated carbon-loaded alginate bead: An effective and recyclable natural polymer-based adsorbent for methylene blue removal

초록

Activated carbon has been widely used as an effective adsorbent for removing contaminants from the water stream. Preparation of activated carbon using agricultural by-products is environmentally friendly and can greatly contribute to the virtuous cycle of natural polymers. In this study, highly porous activated carbon was prepared using silk sericin, a secondary protein of the sericulture industry. For easy processability and regeneration stability, the bead-type adsorbent was prepared using alginate (Alg) as a matrix. After that, methylene blue (MB) removal behavior of sericin-derived activated carbon (S-AC)/Alg beads was investigated. S-AC obtained by NaOH chemical activation had a larger BET surface area (2150.1 m(2)/g), and this porous structure of S-AC was well maintained after S-AC/Alg bead preparation (1215.4 m(2)/g). S-AC/Alg beads had an excellent MB adsorption capacity (502.5 mg/g) with stable regeneration stability, and 90.1% of the original removal efficiency was maintained after 5 cycles of the repeated adsorption-desorption process. These findings reveal that S-AC/Alg composite beads can be used as low-cost adsorbents for the removal of contaminants in aqueous solutions. (C) 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

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