N-doped lignin-based activated carbon aerogel derived from bamboo black pulp liquor for efficient removal of malachite green in wastewater

In this study, a lignin-based aerogel (LA) was prepared through acid precipitation of BPBL, followed by sol-gel method and freeze-drying. Additionally, a one-step activation-carbonization method was used to acquire nitrogen-doped lignin-based activated carbon aerogel (NLACA). The adsorption and catalytic degradation performance for malachite green (MG) were examined. The specific surface area of NLACA after N-doping was 2644.5 m²/g. The adsorption capacity for MG was increased to 3433 mg/g with the presence of nitrogenous functional groups on surface of NLACA compared without N-doping. Meanwhile, non-radical singlet oxygen is the primary active substance and degradation efficiency arrives at 91.8% after the catalytic degradation within 20 min and it has good stability and reuse. Three possible degradation pathways during degradation were analyzed by LC-MS technique. The adsorption isotherm and kinetic data demonstrated conformity with both the Langmuir model and the pseudo-second-order kinetic model. The primary mechanisms of the adsorption for MG dyes on NLACA include hydrogen bonding, π-π interactions, attraction of electrostatic and pore filling. Hence, NLACA derived from BPBL acts as a cost-effective and high-performance adsorbent and catalyst for removal of MG in dye wastewater. This concept introduces an innovative approach of "treatment of waste with waste" for developing a low-consumption, high-efficiency dye wastewater treatment and provides significant reference to treatment dye wastewater.