Multifaceted roles of FeCl2 on pore formation of polyester fabric wastes-based activated carbon

Abstract FeCl2, a new type of activating agent, is inspiring intensive research in the preparation of activated carbons (ACs). But most of the studies were limited to the superficial levels, the mechanism of pore formation remained an important challenge in FeCl2-activation application. Here polyester fabric wastes (PFW) were used as the precursor to the preparation of ACs via FeCl2-activation. The optimal preparation conditions were at the mixing ratio in FeCl2/PFW, activation temperature and time of 1:1, 700 °C and 1.5 h, respectively. The mechanism of pore formation was presented by N2 adsorption/desorption isotherms, TG-FTIR-GC/MS, XRD and TEM. The results showed that activation temperature and mass ratio of FeCl2/PFW played important roles in pore formation. Moreover, Cl- was able to catalyze the reaction of substitution, addition, and aromatization, leading to the formation of pore structures, and Fe3O4 derived from Fe2+ acted as templates inside the carbon matrix to facilitate pore development.