Abstract

Activated carbons synthesized from biomass (agricultural and food wastes) are considered promising materials for adsorbing organic pollutants. In this study, the mixture of shrimp shell (SS) and cellulose (C) were used as precursors for the synthesis of activated carbon (SS@C) with high surface area, well-developed pore structure and stable structure. On this basis, the magnetic adsorption material was prepared through NaHCO3 activation and Fe3O4 precipitation. Mean pore diameter (nm), surface area (m2·g−1), and micropore size (cm3·g−1) of SS@C.AC-M were characterized by SEM-EDS and N2 sorption analyses. The characterization of SS@C.AC-M revealed that the optimal mass ratio of SS@C and NaHCO3 was 1:1.5. In the absorption of Bisphenol A (BPA), the synergistic effects of BPA concentration, pH, and retention time were analyzed by response surface methodology (RSM). A pseudo-second-order model was proposed, which revealed the maximum adsorption capacity of the BPA onto SS@C.AC-M was 207.77 mg g−1. To test the reusability of SS@C.AC-M adsorbent, 5 cycles of pollutant removal experiments were carried out. This work provides a synthesis and optimization method of biomass-based activated carbons for the absorption of organic pollutants in wastewater. © 2022 Elsevier Ltd