Polysulfone‐Activated Carbon Hybrid Particles for the Removal of BPA

Abstract

Polysulfone‐activated carbon (PSF‐AC) hybrid particles are prepared using a liquid–liquid phase separation technique. The PSF‐AC hybrid particles are then used for the removal of bisphenol A (BPA) from its aqueous solutions. The PSF‐AC hybrid particles have similar structure as the polysulfone beads; both of them have a skin layer outside and a porous structure inside. The adsorption ability increased significantly when activated carbons were embedded into the particles, and the hybrid particles showed relatively more adsorption ability when the activated carbon content was 50%. The adsorbed BPA to the hybrid particles could be effectively removed by ethanol, which indicates that the hybrid particles can be reused. It is easy to prepare the particle column using these kinds of hybrid particles and the hybrid particle column could more effectively remove BPA. The results suggested that the PSF‐AC hybrid particles have a potential to be used for the removal of BPA in environmental application.

Keywords:

• Activated carbon
• polysulfone, hybrid particles
• bisphenol A
• liquid–liquid phase separation

Acknowledgements

This work was financially supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 50403028); and The Project‐sponsored by SRF for ROCS, State Education Ministry of China (No. 2004527‐16‐14).