A process for producing absorbent materials includes reducing a banana tree stalk into separated fibers, pressing the separated fibers to generate pressed fibers having less than 50% moisture content by weight, reducing moisture content of the pressed fibers by applying infrared heating to produce pre-dried fibers, and applying a non-thermal drying process to generate dried fibers having less than 10% moisture content by weight for employment in an absorbent material that absorbs hydrocarbons.

A method for preparing the iron-based biochar material, the iron-based biochar material prepared there from and a method for controlling the heavy metal pollution in soil using the iron-based biochar material. For the iron-based biochar material of the present invention, by using a method of high-temperature carbonization, a biomass is used as a raw material and an iron-containing compound is add in the process of preparing biochar, wherein iron is incorporated in a specific ratio, to form the iron-based biochar material with a special structure and function. The material has a simple preparation process, low cost and a short production period; the prepared iron-based biochar material has an unique effect on the arsenic-cadmium combined pollution soil remediation, can effectively reduce the bioavailability of arsenic and cadmium in the soil, significantly reduces the arsenic and cadmium contents in the agricultural products planted in the arsenic-cadmium combined pollution soil, and has no toxic and side effects on the crops, is safe to apply and can be applied to the control of arsenic-cadmium combined pollution soil in a large scale.

[Object] To provide an adsorbent, an adsorbent sheet, and a carbon/polymer composite for adsorbing a virus having further improved virus adsorption capability. [Solving Means] An adsorbent for adsorbing a virus according to the present invention has a specific surface area value as measured by the nitrogen BET method of 10 m.sup.2/g or more and a pore volume as measured by the BJH method of 0.1 cm.sup.3/g or more. An adsorbent sheet for adsorbing a virus according to the present invention includes a porous carbonaceous material having a specific surface area value as measured by the nitrogen BET method of 10 m.sup.2/g or more and a pore volume as measured by the BJH method of 0.1 cm.sup.3/g or more. A carbon/polymer composite for adsorbing a virus according to the present invention includes a porous carbonaceous material having a specific surface area value as measured by the nitrogen BET method of 10 m.sup.2/g or more and a pore volume as measured by the BJH method of 0.1 cm.sup.3/g or more; and a binder.

The invention relates to a method, in which siliceous biomass is modified in the spectrum of the existing non-silicon metals and these non-silicon metals are fixed onto the siliceous skeleton of the plant by burning. The ashes produced can be used as auxiliary agents for heterogeneous catalysis in the chemical industry and as loading materials for plastics, elastomers, pigments, paints and sizing materials.

A range of carbon materials can be produced using lignin in combination with synthetic phenolic resins or naturally occurring lingo-cellulosic materials. The lignin, which is essentially a naturally occurring phenolic resin, has a carbon yield on pyrolysis similar to that of the synthetic resins, which aids processing. The lignin can be used as a binder phase for synthetic resin or lignocellulosic materials allowing the production of monolithic carbons from a wide range of precursors, as the primary structural material where the thermal processing is modified by the addition of small quantities of synthetic resin materials or as structure modified in the production of meso/macro porous carbons in either bead, granular or monolithic form. A carbonised monolith is provided comprising mesoporous and/or macroporous carbon particles dispersed in a matrix of microporous carbon particles with voids between the particles defining paths for fluid to flow into and through the structure. The monolith may take the form of a shaped body having walls defining a multiplicity of internal transport channels for fluid flow, the transport channels being directed along the extrusion direction. The monolith may be made by carbonising a shaped phenolic body based on phenolic resin precursors. In a method for producing such a carbonisable shaped resin body solid particles of a first phenolic resin are provided which is partially cured so that the particles are sinterable but do not melt on carbonisation. The particles of the first phenolic resin are mixed with particles of a second phenolic resin that has a greater degree of cure than said first phenolic resin and has a mesoporous and/or macroporous microstructure that is preserved on carbonisation. The resulting mixture is formed into a dough e.g. by mixing the resin particles with methyl cellulose, PEO and water, after which the dough is extruded to form a shaped product and stabilising in its shape by sintering.

A porous carbon material wherein a particle diameter is 10 ?m or more but 1 cm or less; wherein a bulk specific gravity is 0.20 g/cm.sup.3 or more; and wherein a mesopore volume is 0.10 cm.sup.3/g or more.

The present invention provides a method (100) for removal of metals from aqueous solutions comprising the steps of treating (102) the aqueous solutions with an adsorbent, allowing (104) the aqueous solutions and the adsorbent to be in contact for a predetermined time to obtain treated aqueous solutions, collecting (106) the treated aqueous solutions, filtering (108) the treated aqueous solutions and discharging (110) the filtered aqueous solutions. The adsorbent comprising plurality of natural biomaterials. Further, the plurality of natural biomaterials are capable of adsorbing the metals from the aqueous solutions.

A process for the preparation of a granulated or pelletized sorption medium from a partially decomposed organic material like peat, followed by low-temperature thermal activation of the sorption medium to produce a high degree of granule or pellet hardness balanced against an efficacious level of ion-exchange and adsorption capacity, followed by chemical treatment of the sorption material via a preselected solution of soluble salts (called APTsorb II*M) for use in a wastewater treatment process where competing toxic metal cations are present in the wastewater is provided by this invention. Depending upon the M.sup.+ cations contributed to the peat granule sorption activity sites by the preselected salt used in the salt solution treatment step, the granules exhibit a selectivity of a first type of more-toxic metal cations (such as cadmium, lead, copper, or other metals at high concentrations) over a second type of less-toxic metal cations of (such as zinc, aluminum, or iron) in the wastewater; greater adsorption activity for the first type of more-toxic metal cations; and greater breakthrough capacity for the first type of more-toxic metal cations. This allows the end user to target the more-toxic metals for adsorption by the sorption medium containing the cations contributed by the preselected solution of soluble salts.

A cellulosic carbon pyrolyzate material is disclosed, having utility as a gas adsorbent for use in gas storage and delivery devices, gas filters, gas purifiers and other applications. The cellulosic carbon pyrolyzate material comprises microporous carbon derived from cellulose precursor material, e.g., microcrystalline cellulose. In adsorbent applications, the cellulosic carbon pyrolyzate may for example be produced in a particulate form or a monolithic form, having high density and high pore volume to maximize gas storage and delivery, with the pore size distribution of the carbon pyrolyzate adsorbent being tunable via activation conditions to optimize storage capacity and delivery for specific gases of interest. The adsorbent composition may include other non-cellulosic pyrolyzate components.

A carbonized material, a device for removing ozone, and a method for removing ozone are provided. The carbonized material has at least a carbonyl-containing group, alkylol group, and carbon having sp.sup.2 hybrid orbital. In particular, the at least one carbonyl-containing group has a carbon content from 10 atom % to 30 atom %, based on the total carbon atoms of the at least one carbonyl-containing group, the at least one alkylol group, and the at least one carbon having sp.sup.2 hybrid orbital.