From Lignin to Three-Dimensional Interconnected Hierarchically Porous Carbon with High Surface Area for Fast and Superhigh-Efficiency Adsorption of Sulfamethazine

A novel three-dimensional lignin-based interconnected hierarchical porous carbon (3DLHPC) with very high specific surface areas (2784 m2 g–1) and large pore volumes (1.382 cm3 g–1) was prepared using sodium lignin sulfonate as carbon precursor, via confinement carbonization, etching silica-template, and in situ alkali activation, for fast and super highly efficient removal of sulfamethazine (SMZ) antibiotics from water. By batch adsorption experiments test, 3DLHPC showed a strong adsorption affinity for SMZ with the maximum monolayer adsorption capacity of 869.6 mg g–1 at 308 K. Owing to this well-defined 3D interconnected hierarchical porous structure, the adsorption equilibrium could be reached within 30 min at 298 K. The adsorption mechanism might be involved in van der Waals force, π–π EDA interaction, electronic interaction, and hydrophobic interaction, as well as hydrogen bonding interaction. Meanwhile, it was demonstrated that 3DLHPC exhibited excellent regeneration ability, showing the potential possibility for antibiotic wastewater treatments.