Microwave assisted activated carbon from waste compressed wood for efficient PFOS removal

I'm pleased to share our latest publication in Environmental Technology & Innovation (Elsevier, Impact Factor: 7.1):

"Microwave-Assisted Activated Carbon from Waste Compressed Wood for Efficient PFOS Removal under Neutral pH Conditions"

This research presents a sustainable approach to producing high-performance activated carbon from discarded compressed wood using phosphoric acid impregnation followed by microwave-assisted activation. The resulting adsorbent achieved 97.9% PFOS removal under neutral pH conditions, eliminating the need for expensive pH adjustment during the treatment process.

The optimized activated carbon exhibited a specific surface area of 1226 m² g⁻¹ , a well-developed mesoporous structure, and outstanding reusability, maintaining more than 95% PFOS removal efficiency over multiple regeneration cycles.

Beyond its excellent adsorption performance, this study highlights the potential of transforming waste biomass into value-added materials for the removal of persistent emerging contaminants such as PFOS. The findings contribute to both waste valorization and the development of more sustainable and cost-effective water treatment technologies.

I would like to express my sincere gratitude to Prof. Majid Baghdadi for his invaluable guidance, encouragement, and continuous support throughout this research. My sincere thanks also go to my co-authors, Mahdi Maleki and Ghufran Redzwan, for their collaboration and valuable contributions to this work.

I hope our findings will contribute to advancing sustainable solutions for water purification and environmental protection.