Sustainable Conversion of Waste PET into Porous Activated Carbon for Efficient Cu²⁺ Elimination from Aqueous Solution.

ABSTRACT: Heavy metal pollutants, such as Cu²⁺, pose significant environmental and health risks due to their toxicity and persistence in water systems. Simultaneously, the increasing accumulation of waste poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) bottles represents a growing environmental challenge, contributing to plastic pollution. This study addresses both issues by converting waste PET bottles into porous activated carbon (APC) via pyrolysis, creating an efficient and sustainable adsorbent for Cu²⁺ removal from aqueous solutions. The APC materials were thoroughly characterized by SEM, BET, and XPS analyses, revealing a highly porous structure and abundant oxygen-containing functional groups, which enhance Cu²⁺ adsorption. The adsorption process was determined to be spon

SUBMITTER: Lin JY 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12019729 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature