The absorption of triclosan on the surface of four different carbon adsorbents, obtained on the base of plant and household waste (RDF), provided by Sofia Waste Plant, was investigated. The obtained results indicate that the most important parameters, which determine the process of triclosan adsorption by adsorbent surface are pore texture, the size of the accessible surface for the molecules of triclosan, and the chemical nature of the adsorbent surface. It was found that the obtained adsorbents can be successfully applied for the extraction of triclosan from waste and drinking water. The possibilities for solid products, obtained by thermal treatment of household and vegetable waste, to be applied successfully in a water purification technique are discussed.

Nanoporous carbon is synthesized on the base of phenol-formaldehyde resin and polyolefin wax, a by-product from industrial production of polyethylene at low pressure. The adsrption of phenol derivates from aqueous solutions on obtained carbon material was studied. The adsorption capacity of the carbon is related to the surface area and composition of the synthesized material, as well as to the nature of the adsorbent. The obtained adsorbent is characterized by high surface area and porosity, and it demonstrates high adsorption capacity towards aromatic compounds. All studied phenolic compounds show high affinity towards carbon, confirming that the retention mechanism occurs via non-specific interactions between the electronic density of the adsorbent and molecules of aromatic pollutants. Electrostatic interactions may also appear depending on pH of the solution pH and charge distribution of the carbons; and these effects has a strong influence on the final performance of the carbon.

The hydrogen sorption of materials based on 80 wt.% MgH₂ with the addition of 15 wt.% Ni or V and 5 wt.% activated carbons synthesized from polyolefin wax, a waste product from polyethylene production (POW), walnut shells (CAN), and peach stones (CPS) prepared by milling under an inert Ar atmosphere for a period of 1 h, is investigated. All precursors are submitted to pyrolysis followed by steam activation in order to obtain the activated carbons. The hydrogen sorption evaluations are carried out for absorption at 473 and 573 K with pressure of 1 MPa and for desorption at 623 and 573 K with pressure of 0.15 MPa. The composition of the samples after milling and hydrogenation is monitored by X-ray diffraction analyses. The 80 wt.% MgH₂–15 wt. %Ni–5 wt.% POW or CAN after absorption–desorption cycling and in a hydrogenated state at 573 K and 1 MPa are analyzed by TEM.

Carbon foam is a sophisticated porous material with wide applications that depend on its structure, low density, thermal conductivity and electrical characteristics. This study deals with the preparation of carbon foam by the thermo-oxidative modification with HNO₃ of mixtures containing different organic materials with appropriate chemical characteristics—furfural and tar pitch derived from RDF. Carbon foam is characterized by thermogravimetry, differential scanning calorimetry, elemental analysis, Raman spectroscopy, N₂ sorption, infrared spectroscopy and scanning electron spectroscopy. The investigation of adsorption activity of carbon foam towards nickel (II) in water solution is carried out. Experimental results fit very well with the Langmuir adsorption model. The carbon foam, obtained from tar pitch derived from RDF and furfural, shows a high adsorption capacity towards nickel ions (203.67 mg/g). The high adsorption capacity could be explained by the properties of the adsorbent—moderately high surface area, micro-mesoporous texture and presence of oxygen-containing surface groups.

This paper explores the complex interrelationships between biomass composition, thermochemical conversion pathways, carbon yield and other characteristics in order to expand the knowledge for biomass conversion processes and adapt them to specific requirements. A comprehensive characterization, chemical and thermal analysis of peach stone biomass, was performed. Thermogravimetric analysis, elemental analysis and low-temperature nitrogen sorption were also carried out in order to establish the composition and textural characteristics of the precursor material and obtained product. Carbon adsorbents were obtained from the studied biomass precursor under different conditions via one-step hydro-pyrolysis process by using steam activation at 800 °C. After research was conducted, it was established that cellulose is the main component, which influences the quantity and quality of the obtained adsorbent. The high content of hemicellulose reveals peach stones as a good candidate, especially for hydrothermal carbonization. High cellulose content (40%) in the biomass precursor is a prerequisite for the formation of porous texture in carbon adsorbent during hydro-pyrolysis. It was also shown that the carbon yield (26.70%) can be predicted and is highly dependent on the precursor composition. These results highlight the potential of peach stones as a valuable precursor for the production of sustainable, high-performance carbon adsorbents for environmental remediation.