Conversion of carbonaceous materials into solid acids for tylosin mitigation: effect of preprocessing methods on the reactivity of sulfonation reaction

Abstract Carbon-based solid acids have been successfully employed as acidic catalysts for pollutant mitigation in wastewater. To fully tap the potentials of commercially viable carbons preparation and enhance their catalytic performances is a challenging problem. In this work, three commercialized including biochar, activated carbon graphite were preprocessed (ball-milling, Hummer exfoliation, HNO 3 soaking, microwave heating , etc.), sulfonated, evaluated solid-acid tylosin mitigation. Graphite-originated acid performed best through balling-milling preprocess, while biochar-originated behaved well under all preprocessing treatments, which 40 mg L −1 was mitigated within 8 min by 1 g acids. The biochar ball-milling preprocess presented high total acidity large amounts –SO H groups, due to dramatically increased surface area rise activation groups (hydroxyl, alkyl alkoxy etc.) facilitating electrophilic reaction. addition, decreased particle size aromaticity structural defects also contributed. Theoretical calculation average local ionization energy (ALIE) condensed aromatic model molecules with substituted confirmed promoting effects on sulfonation from strong weak 8.40–9.06 eV. These findings deepened knowledge tuning chemistry better sulfonation, thus strengthening degradation tylosin. value study pulling clear thread maneuvering using carbons, holds novel promise rationally functionalizing biochar-based remediation macrolide antibiotics polluted water. Graphical