In this work, spent coffee grounds (SCG) were treated using sulfuric acid hydrolysis in order to isolate the sulfuric acid lignin (SAL). The reactivity of SAL was improved through phenolation and acetylation. Spectroscopic analysis showed that the isolated lignin is composed of GHS type and it was characterized by a high amount of (C–C) and β-O-4 bonds. The thermal analysis showed that the phenolated sulfuric acid lignin (Ph-SAL) present higher thermal stability compared to SAL and acetylated sulfuric acid lignin. In addition, the phenolic hydroxyl group content increases from 2.99 to 9.49 mmol/g after phenolation. Moreover, a methylene blue (MB) adsorption test was established in order to find out the sorption capacity of different samples. The study showed that the adsorbed amount of dye increase after the chemical modification of SAL, especially after phenolation. The removal efficiency was enhanced after modification to reach 99.62% for Ph-SAL. The evaluation of the adsorption experimental data with the theoretical models of Langmuir and Freundlich showed that the best fitting was expressed by the Langmuir model for all samples. Finally, this study showed that lignin isolated from SCG can be simply and easily chemical modified and exhibits excellent adsorption ability towards cationic dyes (MB) in aqueous solutions. As a renewable, low-cost, and natural biomass material, lignin from SCG shows a promising practical and economical application of biomass in the field of wastewater purification.

The aim of this work was to examine the static capacity of adsorption of anthracene by Posidonia oceanica and activated carbon. The effect of experimental parameters pH and contact time on the anthracene adsorption onto cited materials was investigated in detail. The results showed that the anthracene removal on both P. oceanica and activated carbon was unaffected in the pH range of 2–12. The equilibrium data fit well to the Langmuir model with a maximum adsorption capacity of 8.35mg/g and 0.14mg/g, respectively with activated carbon and P. oceanica

Porous materials constitute an attractive research field due to their high specific surfaces; high chemical stabilities; abundant pores; special electrical, optical, thermal, and mechanical properties; and their often higher reactivities. These materials are currently generating a great deal of enthusiasm, and they have been used in large and diverse applications, such as those relating to sensors and biosensors, catalysis and biocatalysis, separation and purification techniques, acoustic and electrical insulation, transport gas or charged species, drug delivery, and electrochemistry. Porous carbons are an important class of porous materials that have grown rapidly in recent years. They have the advantages of a tunable pore structure, good physical and chemical stability, a variable specific surface, and the possibility of easy functionalization. This gives them new properties and allows them to improve their performance for a given application. This review paper intends to understand how porous carbons involve the removal of pollutants from water, e.g., heavy metal ions, dyes, and organic or inorganic molecules. First, a general overview description of the different precursors and the manufacturing methods of porous carbons is illustrated. The second part is devoted to reporting some applications such using porous carbon materials as an adsorbent. It appears that the use of porous materials at different scales for these applications is very promising for wastewater treatment industries.