Biomass derived porous carbon for efficient iodine adsorption from vapor and solution

The efficient adsorption and storage of radioactive iodine from uranium fission reactions is essential for safe nuclear energy. Bio-based adsorption materials have gained significant attention in the field of radioactive contaminants removal. This is primarily due to their numerous advantages, including a wide range of raw material sources, low cost, ease of preparation, low toxicity, high removal efficiency and stable storage. In this study, rape pollen was chosen as sources of biomass porous carbon, which possesses a micron-sized ellipsoidal shape, homogeneous size, porous structure with sparsely linked network inside, and high carbon content. A biomass derived porous carbon (K-RPC) was synthesized by pretreatment, heat treatment, and advanced treatment techniques. The results indicate that the K-RPC exhibited a hierarchical porous structure with homogeneous and wormhole-like micro- or nanopores, and high specific surface area. The K-RPC demonstrates exceptional iodine capture performance, the capacity surpasses that of most bio-based adsorbents. Remarkably, the maximum adsorption capacity of iodine vapor is approximately fifteen times higher than that of commercial silver exchanged zeolite. The adsorption mechanism, primarily characterized by chemisorption. This study is the first attempt to apply pollen in the field of iodine capture, and the biomass porous carbon extracted from rape pollen has the potential to be a cost-effective iodine adsorption material.