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Nanostructured Carbons for Environmental and Energy Technologies

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A special issue of Nanomaterials (ISSN 2079-4991). This special issue belongs to the section "Environmental Nanoscience and Nanotechnology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (20 March 2021) | Viewed by 32551

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Dr. Luisa Pastrana-Martínez

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Department of Inorganic Chemistry, University of Granada, Granada, Spain
Interests: doped carbon materials; graphene derivatives; adsorption and advanced oxidation technologies (heterogeneous photocatalysis, photo-Fenton, ozonation) for water treatment; CO2 photocatalytic conversion; oxygen reduction reaction
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Dr. Sergio Morales-Torres

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Department of Inorganic Chemistry, University of Granada, Granada, Spain
Interests: carbon nanostructures; graphene; nanostructured metal oxide; structured catalysts and membranes; chemical functionalization; advanced oxidation processes; air/water treatment; desalination
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Prof. Dr. Francisco Carrasco-Marín

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Department of Inorganic Chemistry, University of Granada, Granada, Spain
Interests: carbon materials; energy materials; electro-catalysis; energy storage; supercapacitors; heterogeneous catalysis; green chemistry and environmental chemistry
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Carbon-based nano-materials are increasingly present in many aspects of current science and technology. These materials present a wide variety of properties with unique applications in different fields of biomedicine, catalysis, or energy such as: drug delivery systems, catalytic reactions, air and wastewater treatment, clean and renewable energies, green chemistry, hydrogen production and storage, energy storage, CO₂ capture and transformation, polymers and new materials, among others.

The special issue will be devoted to new developments and fundamental advances on carbon materials covering both fundamental and applied aspects in the preparation of these materials from different precursors, their characterization through a broad spectrum of experimental techniques and its behavior in environmental processes and for energy conversion and storage.

It is our pleasure to invite you to submit a manuscript for this Special Issue. Full papers, short communications, and reviews are welcome.

Dr. Luisa M. Pastrana-Martínez
Dr. Sergio Morales-Torres
Prof. Francisco Carrasco Marín
Guest Editors

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Keywords

nanostructured carbon materials
carbon catalyst
heterogeneous catalysis
photocatalysis
electrocatalysis
fuels & chemicals
environmental catalysis

Published Papers (11 papers)

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Research

18 pages, 4399 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Photocatalytic Perfomance of ZnO-Graphene Oxide Composites towards the Degradation of Vanillic Acid under Solar Radiation and Visible-LED

by Neda Mirikaram, Álvaro Pérez-Molina, Sergio Morales-Torres, Amir Salemi, Francisco J. Maldonado-Hódar and Luisa M. Pastrana-Martínez

Nanomaterials 2021, 11(6), 1576; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/nano11061576 - 15 Jun 2021

Cited by 21 | Viewed by 2957

Abstract

Graphene oxide (GO) is used to enhance the photocatalytic activity of ZnO nanoparticles for the degradation of vanillic acid (VA) under simulated solar light and visible-LED (λ > 430 nm). ZnO-GO composites are prepared by a mixing and sonication process with different GO loadings (i.e., from 1.8 to 6.5 wt.%). The materials are extensively characterized by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), physisorption of N₂, X-ray diffraction (XRD), infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), point of zero charge (pH_PZC), and UV-Vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (DRUV). The presence of GO increases the photocatalytic activity of all the prepared composites in comparison with the pristine ZnO. The highest photocatalytic activity is found for the composite containing 5.5 wt.% of GO (i.e., ZnO-GO5.5), reaching a VA degradation of 99% and 35% under solar light and visible-LED, respectively. Higher TOC removal/VA degradation ratios are obtained from the experiments carried out under visible-LED, indicating a more effective process for the mineralization of VA than those observed under simulated solar light. The influence of hole, radical, and non-radical scavengers is studied in order to assess the occurrence of the reactive oxygen species (ROS) involved in the photocatalytic mechanism. The study of the photo-stability during three reuse experiments indicates that the presence of GO in the composites reduces the photocorrosion in comparison with pristine ZnO. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nanostructured Carbons for Environmental and Energy Technologies)

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23 pages, 3286 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Peculiarities of Thermodynamic Behaviors of Xenon Adsorption on the Activated Carbon Prepared from Silicon Carbide

by Ilya Men’shchikov, Andrey Shkolin, Elena Khozina and Anatoly Fomkin

Nanomaterials 2021, 11(4), 971; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/nano11040971 - 09 Apr 2021

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 2093

Abstract

An activated carbon prepared from silicon carbide by thermochemical synthesis and designated as SiC-AC was studied as an adsorbent for xenon. The examination of textural properties of the SiC-AC adsorbent by nitrogen vapor adsorption measurements at 77 K, powder X-ray diffraction, and scanning electron microscopy revealed a relatively homogeneous microporous structure, a low content of heteroatoms, and an absence of evident transport macropores. The study of xenon adsorption and adsorption-induced deformation of the Si-AC adsorbent over the temperature range of 178 to 393 K and pressures up to 6 MPa disclosed the contraction of the material up to −0.01%, followed by its expansion up to 0.49%. The data on temperature-induced deformation of Si-AC measured within the 260 to 575 K range was approximated by a linear function with a thermal expansion factor of (3 ± 0.15) × 10⁻⁶ K⁻¹. These findings of the SiC-AC non-inertness taken together with the non-ideality of an equilibrium xenon gaseous phase allowed us to make accurate calculations of the differential isosteric heats of adsorption, entropy, enthalpy, and heat capacity of the Xe/SiC-AC adsorption system from the experimental adsorption data over the temperature range from 178 to 393 K and pressures up to 6 MPa. The variations in the thermodynamic state functions of the Xe/SiC-AC adsorption system with temperature and amount of adsorbed Xe were attributed to the transitions in the state of the adsorbate in the micropores of SiC-AC from the bound state near the high-energy adsorption sites to the molecular associates. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nanostructured Carbons for Environmental and Energy Technologies)

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16 pages, 3436 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Oxidative Desulfurization of Petroleum Distillate Fractions Using Manganese Dioxide Supported on Magnetic Reduced Graphene Oxide as Catalyst

by Waqas Ahmad, Atiq Ur Rahman, Imtiaz Ahmad, Muhammad Yaseen, Badrul Mohamed Jan, Minas M. Stylianakis, George Kenanakis and Rabia Ikram

Nanomaterials 2021, 11(1), 203; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/nano11010203 - 14 Jan 2021

Cited by 33 | Viewed by 3719

Abstract

In this study, oxidative desulfurization (ODS) of modeled and real oil samples was investigated using manganese-dioxide-supported, magnetic-reduced graphene oxide nanocomposite (MnO₂/MrGO) as a catalyst in the presence of an H₂O₂/HCOOH oxidation system. MnO₂/MrGO composite was synthesized and characterized by scanning electron microscope (SEM), energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and X-ray diffraction (XRD) analyses. The optimal conditions for maximum removal of dibenzothiophene (DBT) from modeled oil samples were found to be efficient at 40 °C temperature, 60 min reaction time, 0.08 g catalyst dose/10 mL, and 2 mL of H₂O₂/formic acid, under which MnO₂/MrGO exhibited intense desulfurization activity of up to 80%. Under the same set of conditions, the removal of only 41% DBT was observed in the presence of graphene oxide (GO) as the catalyst, which clearly indicated the advantage of MrGO in the composite catalyst. Under optimized conditions, sulfur removal in real oil samples, including diesel oil, gasoline, and kerosene, was found to be 67.8%, 59.5%, and 51.9%, respectively. The present approach is credited to cost-effectiveness, environmental benignity, and ease of preparation, envisioning great prospects for desulfurization of fuel oils on a commercial level. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nanostructured Carbons for Environmental and Energy Technologies)

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26 pages, 7052 KiB

Open AccessEditor’s ChoiceArticle

Thermodynamic Behaviors of Adsorbed Methane Storage Systems Based on Nanoporous Carbon Adsorbents Prepared from Coconut Shells

by Ilya E. Men’shchikov, Andrey V. Shkolin, Evgeny M. Strizhenov, Elena V. Khozina, Sergey S. Chugaev, Andrey A. Shiryaev, Anatoly A. Fomkin and Anatoly A. Zherdev

Nanomaterials 2020, 10(11), 2243; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/nano10112243 - 12 Nov 2020

Cited by 22 | Viewed by 2682

Abstract

The present work focused on the experimental study of the performance of a scaled system of adsorbed natural gas (ANG) storage and transportation based on carbon adsorbents. For this purpose, three different samples of activated carbons (AC) were prepared by varying the size of coconut shell char granules and steam activation conditions. The parameters of their porous structure, morphology, and chemical composition were determined from the nitrogen adsorption at 77 K, X-ray diffraction (XRD), small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) measurements. The methane adsorption data measured within the temperature range from 178 to 360 K and at pressures up to 25 MPa enabled us to identify the most efficient adsorbent among the studied materials: AC-90S. The differential heats of methane adsorption on AC-90S were determined in order to simulate the gas charge/discharge processes in the ANG system using a mathematical model with consideration for thermal effects. The results of simulating the charge/discharge processes under two different conditions of heat exchange are consistent with the experimentally determined temperature distribution over a scaled ANG storage tank filled with the compacted AC-90S adsorbent and equipped with temperature sensors and heat-exchanger devices. The amounts of methane delivered from the ANG storage system employing AC-90S as an adsorbent differ from the model predictions by 4–6%. Both the experiments and mathematical modeling showed that the thermal regulation of the ANG storage tank ensured the higher rates of charge/discharge processes compared to the thermal insulation. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nanostructured Carbons for Environmental and Energy Technologies)

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9 pages, 1501 KiB

Open AccessArticle

A Strategy to Optimize the Performance of Bio-Derived Carbon Aerogels by a Structuring Additive

by Marcelina Kubicka, Monika Bakierska, Krystian Chudzik and Marcin Molenda

Nanomaterials 2020, 10(9), 1811; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/nano10091811 - 11 Sep 2020

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1860

Abstract

In this work, we investigated the influence of gum arabic (GA) as a structuring additive, on the electrochemical behavior of bio-derived carbon aerogels (CAGs). Modified carbonaceous materials were prepared by the gelatinization process of potato starch (PS) with the addition of GA in various quantities, followed by the thermal treatment of the obtained gels in an inert gas atmosphere. The obtained anode materials were examined by X-ray diffraction (XRD), elemental analysis (EA), galvanostatic charge/discharge tests (GCDT), extensive cycling (LT-GCDT) and cyclic voltammetry (CV) methods. The highest electrochemical performance was achieved for carbon aerogel material, in which 1% w/w GA was added. The results showed that the proper composition of carbon precursor with a structuring promoter improves the rheological properties of starch gel and stabilizes the final aerogel structure affecting CAG functional properties. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nanostructured Carbons for Environmental and Energy Technologies)

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19 pages, 2991 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Biomass-Derived Carbon Molecular Sieves Applied to an Enhanced Carbon Capture and Storage Process (e-CCS) for Flue Gas Streams in Shallow Reservoirs

by Elizabeth Rodriguez Acevedo, Camilo A. Franco, Francisco Carrasco-Marín, Agustín F. Pérez-Cadenas and Farid B. Cortés

Nanomaterials 2020, 10(5), 980; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/nano10050980 - 20 May 2020

Cited by 11 | Viewed by 3417

Abstract

It is possible to take advantage of shallow reservoirs (<300 m) for CO₂ capture and storage in the post-combustion process. This process is called enhanced carbon capture and storage (e-CCS). In this process, it is necessary to use a nano-modifying agent to improve the chemical-physical properties of geological media, which allows the performance of CO₂ selective adsorption to be enhanced. Therefore, this study presents the development and evaluation of carbon sphere molecular nano-sieves (CSMNS) from cane molasses for e-CSS. This is the first report in the scientific literature on CSMNS, due to their size and structure. In this study, sandstone was used as geological media, and was functionalized using a nanofluid, which was composed of CNMNS dispersed in deionized water. Finally, CO₂ or N₂ streams were used for evaluating the adsorption process at different conditions of pressure and temperature. As the main result, the nanomaterial allowed a natural selectivity towards CO₂, and the sandstone enhanced the adsorption capacity by an incremental factor of 730 at reservoir conditions (50 °C and 2.5 MPa) using a nanoparticle mass fraction of 20%. These nanofluids applied to a new concept of carbon capture and storage for shallow reservoirs present a novel landscape for the control of industrial CO₂ emissions. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nanostructured Carbons for Environmental and Energy Technologies)

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14 pages, 3471 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Improving Electrochemical Properties of Polypyrrole Coatings by Graphene Oxide and Carbon Nanotubes

by Nelly Maria Rosas-Laverde, Alina Pruna and David Busquets-Mataix

Nanomaterials 2020, 10(3), 507; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/nano10030507 - 11 Mar 2020

Cited by 7 | Viewed by 2742

Abstract

Nanostructured polypyrrole coating was applied on carbon paper via simple dip-coating and electrochemical approach. Hybridization with nanocarbon materials (graphene oxide (GO) and multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs)) and their effect as an anchoring hybrid layer for the growth of polypyrrole towards improving electrochemical properties are studied. The loading of each component and their w/w ratio were evaluated. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, field emission scanning electron microscopy, and Raman spectroscopy were employed to characterize the properties of the coatings. The electrochemical properties were investigated by cyclic voltammetry. The results indicated the electrodeposition of polypyrrole is enhanced by the addition of MWCNTs to the GO layer due to the formation of a hierarchical network. The electrochemical performance of the modified electrode was shown to be highly dependent on the employed w/w ratio, reaching a capacitance value of about 40 mF cm⁻² for a carbon paper substrate modified with GO:MWCNT in a w/w ratio of 1:2.5 and PPy layer deposited by cyclic voltammetry for 30 cycles. The contribution to total stored charge was found to be primary from the inner capacitance component of about 95.5% contribution. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nanostructured Carbons for Environmental and Energy Technologies)

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15 pages, 4562 KiB

Open AccessArticle

N, S Dual-Doped Carbon Derived from Dye Sludge by Using Polymeric Flocculant as Soft Template

by Daofeng Luan, Liang Wu, Tingting Wei, Liu Liu, Yin Lv, Feng Yu, Long Chen and Yulin Shi

Nanomaterials 2019, 9(7), 991; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/nano9070991 - 09 Jul 2019

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2666

Abstract

Dye sludge is a major by-product and it will bring critical environmental problems in the textile industry. In this study, dicyandiamide formaldehyde resin (DFR) is used as an effective flocculating agent for the removal of anionic dyes from textile dye wastewater. Employing dye-contaminated sewage sludges as precursors, N, S dual-doped carbon materials are successfully synthesized by using DFR as a soft template. The specific surface area, morphology, and pore structure of the resulting annealed products can be easily controlled by changing the DFR content of the dye sludge. The oxygen reduction reaction performance of optimal carbon material (N, S-DF-2) is close to commercial 20% Pt/C in alkaline medium, including onset potential (0.98 V), half-wave potential (0.82 V), as well as limiting current density (5.46 mA·cm⁻²). Furthermore, it also shows better durability and crossover resistance. In addition, N, S-DF-2 exhibits a large specific capacitance (230 F·g⁻¹ at 1 A·g⁻¹) and super capacitance retention (nearly 98% at 10 A·g⁻¹) after 2500 cycles as supercapacitors electrodes. This work opens up a new method to take full advantage of organic polymeric flocculant as a soft template to prepare N, S dual-doped carbon materials, which will be beneficial for the reuse and recycling of sewage sludge, as well as for the production of good quality energy conversion and storage materials. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nanostructured Carbons for Environmental and Energy Technologies)

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8 pages, 5460 KiB

Open AccessCommunication

From Polyethylene to Highly Graphitic and Magnetic Carbon Spheres Nanocomposites: Carbonization under Pressure

by Jesica Castelo-Quibén, Luisa M. Pastrana-Martínez, Francisco Carrasco-Marín and Agustín F. Pérez-Cadenas

Nanomaterials 2019, 9(4), 606; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/nano9040606 - 12 Apr 2019

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 3061

Abstract

Carbon nanocomposites microspheres were synthesized from Low-Density Polyethylene (LDPE) by a facile one-step strategy under solvent-free conditions. The synthesis of these materials was carried out in a closed Hastelloy^® reactor at 700 °C. The treatment, during which autogenic pressure was generated, leads to highly graphitic materials with stunning properties, particularly concerning the oxidation resistance (compared to the graphite stability). The metallic doping triggers the growth of nanostructures with diverse morphologies around the spheres, obtaining samples with magnetic properties. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nanostructured Carbons for Environmental and Energy Technologies)

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15 pages, 2971 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Immobilization of P. stutzeri on Activated Carbons for Degradation of Hydrocarbons from Oil-in-Saltwater Emulsions

by Karol Zapata Acosta, Francisco Carrasco-Marin, Farid B. Cortés, Camilo A. Franco, Sergio H. Lopera and Benjamín A. Rojano

Nanomaterials 2019, 9(4), 500; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/nano9040500 - 01 Apr 2019

Cited by 15 | Viewed by 2838

Abstract

Production water is the largest byproduct of the oil industry and must be treated before disposal, either by reinjection or shedding processes, with the purpose of eliminating emulsified crude oil and avoiding the operational and toxic problems associated with it. The objective of this work was to immobilize a hydrocarbon-degrading strain on activated carbons, to evaluate the biocomplex’s capacity for catalyzing hydrocarbons from Oil in Brine emulsions (O/W) simulating produced waters. Activated carbons were prepared and their chemical and porous properties were estimated by XPS, pH_PZC and SEM, N₂ adsorption, and mercury porosimetry. Biomaterials were synthesized and hydrocarbon removal tests were performed. The basic and neutral carbons immobilized Pseudomonas stutzeri by physisorption in the macroporous space and electrostatic interactions (10⁸–10⁹ UFC∙g⁻¹), while acid materials inhibited bacterial growth. Removal of aromatic hydrocarbons was more efficient using materials (60%–93%) and biomaterials (16%–84%) than using free P. stutzeri (1%–47%), and the removal efficiencies of crude oil were 22%, 48% and 37% for P. stutzeri and two biomaterials, respectively. The presence of minor hydrocarbons only when P. stutzeri was present confirmed the biotransformation process. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nanostructured Carbons for Environmental and Energy Technologies)

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13 pages, 4395 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Effect of Solvothermal Conditions on the Properties of Three-Dimensional N-Doped Graphene Aerogels

by Alina Iuliana Pruna, Alfonso C. Cárcel, Adolfo Benedito and Enrique Giménez

Nanomaterials 2019, 9(3), 350; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/nano9030350 - 03 Mar 2019

Cited by 18 | Viewed by 3703

Abstract

Low-density three-dimensional (3D) N-doped graphene aerogels by a one-step solvothermal method in the presence of ethylenediamine (EDA) are reported. The gelation, formation, and properties of the aerogels were studied with solvothermal conditions, namely, operating temperature, time, graphene oxide (GO) concentration, and the GO/EDA w/w ratio. Two ranges of solvothermal conditions are employed: one involving an operating temperature below 100 °C and a conventional chemical reduction of GO with EDA at atmospheric pressure and a second one employing a higher temperature range up to 165 and a high pressure reduction with EDA. The results show that both solvothermal approaches allow for the fabrication of homogeneous N-doped 3D graphene aerogels with density values close to 10 mg cm⁻³. The measurements indicated that low values of GO concentration, temperature, and EDA are optimum for obtaining low-density 3D aerogels. N doping is improved with an EDA amount in lower temperature conditions. The N doping mechanism below 100 °C is dominated by the epoxy ring opening while at temperatures up to 165 °C both epoxy ring opening and amidation take place. The CO₂ adsorption properties are strongly controlled by the nitrogen configuration, namely, pyridinic nitrogen in terms of its density. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nanostructured Carbons for Environmental and Energy Technologies)

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