The European Union has proposed the value of 1 ng L-1 as a drinking water quality standard for estradiol. With conventional technologies only partially removing estradiol, the investigation of novel alternatives is more than ever required. Tagliavini and Schafer proposed that the use of a thin activated carbon layer combined with a membrane is worth considering. In this work, the process was further advanced through a systematic investigation of the role of activated carbon size, activation and surface chemistry on the removal of estradiol. The use of smaller carbon particles allows reaching the ambitious target value of 1 ng L-1 in a millimetric layer. Further, adsorption kinetic enhancement by increasing the oxygen content on the carbon improves the removal from 96 to 99 % (for a layer of 2 mm) for OH-containing pollutants such as estradiol. High removal, together with low pressure and no by-product formation, are characteristics that make the UF-PBSAC a promising and competitive approach. (C) 2020 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The invention relates to a process for the production of activated carbon, especially particulate activated carbon, with increased mesopore and / or macropore volume fraction, preferably with increased Mesoporenvolumenanteil.

The application of polymer-based spherical activated carbon (PBSAC) as catalyst support offers unprecedented advantages in the handling of the catalyst in all stages of its application due to its superior fluid dynamic properties and dust-free character, minimizing post processing times and facilitating catalyst recycling. The preparation of PBSAC-based Pd catalysts has been addressed using PBSAC of different particle sizes and degrees of activation. Prior to Pd deposition, the support was oxidized in nitric and sulfuric acidic media under different operating conditions in order to introduce surface charges for the ion exchange. This method was successfully applied as, even for the mildest functionalization conditions, full deposition of Pd was achieved. The synthesized Pd-PBSAC catalysts were successfully employed in the hydrogenation of cinnamic acid achieving its complete conversion at an optimum effective rate constant of 0.122m(3)kg(Pd)(-1)s(-1).

The heterogeneously catalyzed epoxidation of commercially available biodiesel with aqueous H2O2 as an oxidant was studied over composite catalysts consisting of microporous titanium silicalite-1 (TS-1) as reactive and polymer-based spherical activated carbon (PBSAC) as sorptive component. The results are compared to that of a commercial TS-1 catalyst. The polymer-based spherical activated carbon was applied either as a support or as an exotemplate. In the composite catalyst, the active titanium sites are utilized four times more efficiently than in the commercial TS-1.

The heterogeneously catalyzed epoxidation of commercial biodiesel with aqueous H2O2 as oxidizing agent has been studied using composite catalysts composed of microporous titanium silicalite (TS-1) as a reactive, and a polymer-based spherical activated carbon as sorptive functionality. The results were compared with the performance of a commercial TS-1 catalyst. The polymer-based spherical activated carbon was used either as a support or as exotemplate. The efficiency of the active titanium sites was four times higher in the composite catalyst than in the commercial TS-1 catalyst.

Polymer-based spherical activated carbon (PBSAC) can be functionalized through the integration of reactive compounds. This offers new fields of applications for this adsorbent material. Impregnated PBSAC can be used as broadband sorbent material for respiratory protection, and for removal of certain metals from water, while the integration of nitrogen leads to a material suitable for the clean-up of gases. Functionalization through oxidation or integration of nitrogen atoms enables the concentration of valuable resources like uranium or gold.

Novel supported ionic liquid phase (SILP) gas purification materials have been developed to remove ammonia irreversibly from an ambient gas flow of nitrogen (1000 ppm NH3 in N2, wet and dry). In the applied SILP materials, thin films of imidazolium based ionic liquids and ionic solutions of metal complexes, namely [C8C1Im][NTf2], [C8C1Im][NTf2]/Cu(NTf2)2, [C8C1Im][NTf2]/Co(NTf2)2 and [CnC1Im]Cl/CuCl2 (n = 2, 4, 8), were dispersed onto the large surface area of polymer-based spherical activated carbon supports. For the [CnC1Im]Cl/CuCl2 (n = 2, 4, 8) based SILP materials the use of a humid gas flow significantly enhances NH3 absorption as demonstrated by a clear increase of breakthrough times. The irreversibility of the ammonia sorption and the broadband capability (e.g. Cl2, H2S and cyclohexane) of the prepared SILP absorber materials are reported and compared to typical standards for gas purification adsorber materials (ABEK regulations).

Supported ionic liquid phase (SILP) materials consist of a porous solid that is coated with a thin film of an ionic liquid. The application of such hybrid materials in adsorptive gas cleaning processes is described using own experiments and recent literature. Examples using metal oxides and spherical carbon adsorbents as supports are discussed and the application of SILP materials in foam structures is presented. SILP materials benefit in adsorption processes in a particular manner from the special properties of ionic liquids. Using the liquid salt in an immobilized form allows for a large gas-liquid exchange area and a very high degree of ionic liquid utilization.

Die Erfindung betrifft ein Filtermaterial, welches insbesondere zum Einsatz in Filtern oder als Filter zur Gasbehandlung und/oder Gasreinigung, insbesondere fur Reinraumbedingungen, geeignet ist, wobei das Filtermaterial mindestens eine Aktivkohle, insbesondere Aktivkohle mit reaktiver und/oder katalytischer Ausrustung, umfasst und/oder aufweist, wobei die Aktivkohle in Form von diskreten Aktivkohlepartikeln, vorzugsweise in Kugel- und/oder Kornform, vorliegt, wobei die Aktivkohle mit mindestens einer Metallkomponente ausgerustet und/oder ausgestattet ist, wobei die Metallkomponente mindestens eine metallhaltige, insbesondere Metallionen, vorzugsweise auf Basis einer Metall Verbindung, enthaltende Ionische Flussigkeit (IL) umfasst.