ADSORPTION OF ODOUR-CAUSING SULPHUR COMPOUNDS AT LOW CONCENTRATIONS ON ACTIVATED CARBONS: EFFECTS OF OXYGEN FUNCTIONAL GROUPS

摘要

The emission of unpleasant odours in waste treatments operations has become a public concern. One of the main causes of episodes in these treatments are volatile sulphur compounds (VSCs) due to their low odour threshold [1]. Adsorption onto activated Carbon (AC) is one of the most used techniques for the removal of an extended variety of pollutants due to its high porosity and tuneable chemical and physical properties. In order to enhance the adsorption capacity for VSCs onto AC, surface chemistry modification by impregnation [2] and oxidation [3] has been studied previously. The quantum-chemical COSMO-RS (Conductorlike Screening Model for Real Solvents) model, developed by Klamt and co-workers [4], was used to analyze sulphur solute-AC interactions, with the aim of designing tailor-made AC adsorbents with improved surface chemistry for selective adsorption of VSCs.