One-step pyrolysis of lignin and polyvinyl chloride for synthesis of porous carbon and its application for toluene sorption.

The aim of this work aims to synthesize the high performance porous carbons from lignin and rice husk (RH) via one-step pyrolysis with KOH and PVC. And those porous carbons were evaluated for toluene sorption. The unactivated biochars had ultralow specific surface area (SBET). By co-pyrolysis of biomass with KOH, the SBET of bio-carbon was significantly improved. The addition of PVC can further enhance the SBET. Additionally, the SBET of lignin-carbons was higher than that of RH-carbons. It was attributed to the destruction of pore structures in the RH chars with high salts by the washing process. Compared with the RH carbons, the lignin carbons had a higher micro-porosity. As for toluene sorption, the maximum breakthrough time (2195 min) and sorption capacity (263.4 mg g-1) were achieved using LPKC. The textural properties (e.g., pore volume, micro-porosity, and hierarchically porous structure) can take significant effects on the sorption process.