摘要：In this research, the feasibility of thermal regeneration of spent powered activated carbon (PAC) previously used in decolorization of 4-methylaminoantipyrine for pharmaceutical industry was studied. All carbon samples were thermally regenerated in an air flow. Adsorptive capacity after thermal regeneration was evaluated by a simple and accurate spectrophotometric method. In order to obtain the best operation conditions, batch adsorption-regeneration experiments were performed. Thermogravimetric analysis was performed to investigate the mechanism of adsorbateadsorbent interactions depending on temperatures. The variations of adsorptive uptake of PAC during successive adsorption and regeneration cycles were also studied. According to the results, it was confirmed that the regenerated PAC could be reused after thermal regeneration and its adsorption capacity was maintained at a relatively high level. Thermal desorption profiles show that weight losses of exhausted carbon samples occur in two steps (physisorption at ∼220 oC and chemisorption at ∼370 oC). These results suggested that thermal regeneration could be performed in a single step, which can simplify operation procedures and reduce operating cost. Thus, this paper provides a promising methodology for the regeneration and reuse of spent medicinal PAC.
