Removal of formaldehyde at low concentration using various activated carbon fibers

Adsorption of low concentration formaldehyde on pitch‐based, rayon‐based, and PAN‐based activated carbon fibers (ACFs) and an unactivated PAN‐based carbon fiber (PAN‐CF) was investigated by a dynamic method. The pore structure and surface chemistry of these samples were characterized by liquid nitrogen adsorption, elemental analysis, and X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Results revealed that the pore structure, especially surface chemical composition, greatly influence the formaldehyde adsorption. PAN‐based ACFs showed the highest formaldehyde adsorption capacity because there are more abundant nitrogen‐containing groups, especially pyrrolic, pyridonic, pyridinic, and quaternary on the surface. The breakthrough time and formaldehyde adsorption capacity of one kind of PAN‐ACF were 361 min and 0.478 mmol/g, respectively.