Preparation of Discarded Cigarette Butts-Derived Activated Carbon and Its Decolorization for Waste Water: Innovative Experiment Design for Science Popularization
LI Jun, ZHU Gui-Hua, ZHANG Ling, LI Dan, CAO Zhong**
Hunan Provincial Key Laboratory of Materials Protection for Electric Power and Transportation, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Changsha University of Science and Technology, Changsha 410114, China
Abstract Based on innovative idea of changing waste into valuable, the black cigarette butts-derived activated carbon was simply prepared through H3PO4 impregnation activation followed by high-temperature pyrolysis by taking discarded cigarette butts as raw materials in this experiment for science popularization. It had been demonstrated that the prepared activated carbon had features of rich surface oxygen-containing groups, large specific surface area, and well-developed pore structure by using various characterization and test methods such as elemental and thermo-gravimetric analysis, FTIR, XPS, SEM, Raman spectroscopy, and N2 adsorption. With the independently developed small experimental device, the easy-to-use multi-color dye wastewater adsorption experiment was designed, showing that the activated carbon had good decolorization effect and presenting visual color changes, which stimulated the interest and enthusiasm of teenagers to learn chemistry. Moreover, the harm of discarded cigarette butts, the preparation method of cigarette butts derived-activated carbons and their applications for decolorization and waste removal were comprehensively and stereoscopically displayed to the public through the video presentations, experimental demonstrations, and interactive sessions, allowing everyone to fully understand the magic and charm of chemistry and thus enhance their awareness of green development and environmental protection.
LI Jun, ZHU Gui-Hua, ZHANG Ling, LI Dan, CAO Zhong. Preparation of Discarded Cigarette Butts-Derived Activated Carbon and Its Decolorization for Waste Water: Innovative Experiment Design for Science Popularization[J]. Chinese Journal of Chemical Education, 2024, 45(19): 94-100.
