Superfine powdered activated carbon incorporated into electrospun polystyrene fibers preserve adsorption capacity

A composite material consisted of superfine powdered activated carbon (SPAC) and fibrous polystyrene (PS) was fabricated for the first time by electrospinning. SPAC is produced by pulverizing powdered activated carbon. The diameter of SPAC (100–400nm) is more than one hundred times smaller than conventional powdered activated carbon, but it maintains the internal pore structure based on organic micropollutant adsorption isotherms and specific surface area measurements. Co-spinning SPAC into PS fibers increased specific surface area from 6m2/g to 43m2/g. Unlike metal oxide nanoparticles, which are non-accessible for sorption from solution, electrospinning with SPAC created porous fibers. Composite SPAC-PS electrospun fibers, containing only 10% SPAC, had 30% greater phenanthrene sorption compared against PS fibers alone. SPAC particles embedded within the polymer were either partially or fully incorporated, and the accessibility of terminal adsorption sites were conserved. Conserving the adsorptive functionality of SPAC particles in electrospun non-woven polymeric fiber scaffolding can enable their application in environmental applications such as drinking water treatment. [Display omitted] •Electrospun non-woven polystyrene fibers with superfine powdered activated carbon are fabricated.•SPAC particles are fully or partially encapsulated by the polystyrene microfibers.•Specific surface area of SPAC-PS composite is higher than neat PS fibers.•SPAC particles conserve terminal adsorption sites after incorporation into PS fibers.•Composition of SPAC-PS shows a synergistic increase in adsorption of phenanthrene from water.