Highly selective enrichment of EU-priority PAHs from aromatic peanut oil utilizing urea-hybridized activated carbon

Adsorption is widely applied for removing polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) from edible oils due to its high efficiency and operational simplicity. In this study, a Urea@AC composite was prepared via a simplified impregnation method by modifying activated carbon (AC) with urea to improve its selectivity toward PAHs. The composite exhibited superior adsorption performance, achieving 94.03% removal of PAH4 while effectively preserving the nutritional and sensory qualities of the oil. Retention rates of vitamin E and phytosterols reached 97.67% and 84.65%, respectively, and the preservation of key flavor compounds was nearly twice that of unmodified AC. Kinetic, thermodynamic, and Density Functional Theory calculations revealed that the adsorption behavior is primarily regulated by surface chemical functional groups, with hydrogen bonding, n-π interactions, π-π interactions, and hydrophobic interactions identified as the contributing mechanisms. This work provides valuable insights for the fabrication of advanced and efficient adsorbents for PAHs removal from oils.