3D Monolayer Silanation of Porous Structure Facilitating Multi-Phase Pollutants Removal

Activated carbon (AC) is widely used to removing hazardous pollutants from air and water, owing to its exceptional adsorption properties. However, the high affinity of water molecules with the surface oxygen-containing functional groups can adversely affect the adsorption performance of AC. In this study, a facile and efficient method is presented for fabrication of hydrophobic AC through surface monolayer silanation. Compared to initial AC, the hydrophobic AC improves the water contact angle from 29.7° to 123.5° while maintaining high specific surface area and enhances the removal capacity of multi-phase pollutants (emulsified oil and toluene). Additionally, the hydrophobic AC exhibits excellent adsorption capability to harmful algal bloom species (Chlorella) (97.56%) and algal organic matter (AOM) (96.23%) owing to electrostatic interactions and surface hydrophobicity. The study demonstrates that this method of surface monolayer silanation can effectively weaken the effect of water molecules on AC adsorption capacity, which has significant potential for practical use in air and water purification, as well as in the control of harmful algal blooms.