The contamination of water by a large variety of compounds is a tremendous environmental issue that will require the use of effective and versatile materials to disinfect hydrological systems from source to point-of-use. In this study, aqueous-phase adsorption of mulitple organic compounds and heavy metal ions at environmentally relevant concentrations by granular activated carbon and graphene-single-walled carbon nanotube free-standing hybrid papers was examined based upon changes in optical absorption spectra. Results show that the hybrid nanocomposites have superior adsorption capacities compared to bulk carbonaceous materials with up to 35% and 170% larger uptakes towards aromatic and ionic compounds, respectively. Moreover, they not only exhibit fast adsorption rates for both aromatic and ionic compounds, but also enable direct usage and easy recollection in water treatment, making them potential candidates for future environmental remediation applications. This study has important implications for understanding the chemistry of carbonaceous materials at environmental interfaces.

Efficient and versatile carbon-based nanocomposite for the adsorption of heavy metal ions from aqueous environments

249th National Meeting (2015)

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