Preparation of activated carbon from polyester sliver and its application to adsorptive removal of 4-nonylphenol in water

Utilization of textile-related wastes is investigated for the growth of substance-circulating society and the establishment of recycling technology is important. In this work, it was studied that the activated carbons were prepared from polyester sliver and that those were utilized as an adsorbent for environmental purification. The activated carbons prepared from polyester sliver, whose properties and adsorption performances were equal or superior to ordinary activated carbons on the market, were obtained by the control of activation conditions. Activated carbon with more than 1500 m2/g of specific surface area was obtained in the case of steam activation. However the specific surface area of the activated carbons by CO2-activation was smaller than those by steam activation. It was possible that the pore size of the activated carbons by CO2-activation was larger relatively from results of porosities analyzed. Adsorption isotherms of 4-nonylphenol (4NP) in water, which was recognized as one of endocrine-disrupting chemicals, were measured by using the activated carbons prepared from polyester sliver. It was found out that the activated carbons were available effectively for adsorptive removal of 4NP in environmental water and that adsorption performance for 4NP could be improved by controlling the conditions for preparation of the activated carbon.