Mesostructured nanomagnetic polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxanes (POSS) incorporated with dithiol organic anchors for multiple pollutants capturing in wastewater

An eco-friendly composite hydrogel based on covalently crosslinked cellulose/poly (glycerol citrate) for thallium (Ι) removal from aqueous solutions

Cellulose/poly (glycerol citrate) reinforced with thiol-rich polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane and apple peel (POSS-SH@CAG-CEL/AP) was synthesized using gelation method in the presence of glutaraldehyde as a crosslinker agent and used as an efficient composite hydrogel for elimination of Tl(Ι) from aqueous solutions. This composite hydrogel and synthesized thiol-rich polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane were characterized by elemental analysis, FT-IR, NMR, TGA, and FE-SEM techniques. The effects of synthetic and environmental parameters on the adsorption capacity of the composite hydrogel were investigated and it was found that thiol-rich polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane has improved the hydrogel properties including the Tl(Ι) uptake and the thermal stability. The maximum adsorption capacity of 352.3 mg g-1 was obtained within 30 min under optimum reaction conditions. A typical Langmuir adsorption isotherm with was observed for adsorption of Tl(I) onto POSS-SH@CAG-CEL/AP and pseudo-second-order kinetic model provided the best correlation between experimental data. Thermodynamic studies showed that the Tl(I) adsorption was spontaneous process and exothermic. Also, the reusability tests confirmed that the POSS-SH@CAG-CEL/AP can be reused for four times without any remarkable change in its adsorption capacity. Thus, this reusable biobased composite hydrogel can be an ideal candidate for elimination of Tl(I) from aqueous solutions.

Development and evaluation of a blocking ELISA for serological diagnosis of equine infectious anemia

Equine infectious anemia (EIA) is an important viral disease characterized by persistent infection in equids worldwide. Most EIA cases are life-long virus carriers with low antibody reactions and without the appearance of clinical symptoms. A serological test with high sensitivity and specificity is required to detect inapparent infection. In this study, a B-cell common epitope-based blocking ELISA (bELISA) was developed using a monoclonal antibody together with the EIAV p26 protein labelled with HRP. The test has been evaluated against the standard and with field serum samples globally. This bELISA test can be completed within 75 min, and the sensitivity is higher than those of either the AGID or one commercial cELISA kit. This bELISA assay was 8-16 times more analytically sensitive than AGID, and 2 to 4 times more analytically sensitive than one cELISA kit by testing three sera from the USA, Argentina, and China, respectively. The 353 serum samples from Argentina were tested, in comparison with AGID, the diagnostic sensitivity and specificity of our bELISA assay were 100% (154/154) and 97.0% (193/199), respectively, and the accuracy of the bELISA test was 98.3%. The bELISA test developed in this study is a rapid, sensitive, specific method for the detection of EIAV infection, and could be a promising candidate for use in the monitoring of the EIA epidemic worldwide. KEY POINTS: • A universal epitope-based blocking enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (bELISA) was developed for detection of antibodies to EIAV. • The bELISA assay can be used to test EIAV serum samples from different regions of the world including North America, South America, Europe, and Asia. • The bELISA assay was evaluated in three different international labs and showed a better performance than other commercial kits.

Feasible synthesis of bifunctional polysilsesquioxane microspheres for robust adsorption of Hg(II) and Ag(I): Behavior and mechanism

The pollution of Hg(II) and Ag(I) to water system exerts hazardous effect to aquatic ecosystem and public security. Simple strategy for constructing adsorbents to efficient remove them is greatly desired. Thus, a series of thiol and amino groups containing bifunctional polysilsesquioxanes (ASPSS) microspheres with adjustable porous structure and functional group content were synthesized by one-step feasible sol-gel process. The adsorption behavior and mechanism of ASPSS microspheres toward Hg(II) and Ag(I) was thoroughly determined. The maximum adsorption capacity of ASPSS for Hg(II) and Ag(I) are 4.32 and 3.86 mmol·g^-1 under 25 ℃. The as-prepared ASPSS microspheres can 100% selectively capture Hg(II) with the coexisting of Mn(II), Co(II), Pb(II), Cd(II), Cu(II), Fe(III). And they can 100% adsorb Ag(I) with the presence of Cd(II), Pb(II), Co(II), Ni(II), and Zn(II). Moreover, the ASPSS microspheres exhibit good removal efficiency for Hg(II) and Ag(I) from simulated industrial wastewater with the coexistence of multiple pollutants. Adsorption mechanism suggests the adsorption for Hg(II) and Ag(I) is the synergistic coordination effect of amino and thiol groups. The excellent adsorption selectivity for Hg(II) and Ag(I) is attributed to the super binding ability of these functional group. ASPSS microspheres also exhibit good regeneration ability and could be reused for removing Hg (II) and Ag(I) from aqueous solution with practical value.

Cage-Based Covalent Organic Framework for the Effective and Efficient Removal of Malachite Green from Wastewater

A cage-covalent organic framework (COF)-TP {T = bis(tetraoxacalix[2]arene[2]triazine); P = piperazine}, a novel two-dimensional covalent organic skeleton substituted with a nucleophilic cyanuric chloride analogue, was synthesized by a simple polymerization process. Cage-COF-TP is advantageous owing to its good structural order, permanent porosity, and low preparation cost. This skeleton was employed as a cost-effective adsorbent for the intermittent adsorption of an organic dye from aqueous solutions. Adsorption experiments were carried out at different initial dye concentrations, contact times, and solution pH. The adsorption kinetics followed the pseudo-second order model, and the results of thermodynamic studies were consistent with the Langmuir isotherm model. The high degree of matching between the size and shape of malachite green (MG) and the shrunken channels present in Cage-COF-TP were responsible for the enhanced adsorption ability of this material. Furthermore, theoretical calculations indicated that the high adsorption of the studied adsorbent can be attributed to the presence of nitrogen-rich triazine units in the Cage-COF-TP, which are expected to strengthen its affinity to guest molecules. The obtained results showed that the developed adsorbent is an efficient adsorbent that is theoretically capable of stimulating the removal of ∼2000 mg/g MG from wastewater at ambient temperature. This study will therefore be expected to promote the development of new functional materials based on COFs.

Molecularly imprinted polymers for selective extraction/microextraction of cancer biomarkers: A review

Over recent years, great efforts have been extensively documented in top scientific journals on the development of methods for early diagnosis, treatment, and monitoring of cancers which are prevalent critical diseases with a high mortality rate among men and women. The determination of cancer biomarkers using different optimum methodologies is one of the finest options for achieving these goals with more precision, speed, and at a lower cost than traditional clinical procedures. In this regard, while focusing on specific biomarkers, molecularly imprinted technology has enabled novel diagnostic techniques for a variety of diseases. Due to the well-known advantages of molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs), this review focuses on the current trends of MIPs-based extraction/microextraction methods, specifically targeting cancer biomarkers from various matrices. These optimized methods have demonstrated high selectivity, accuracy, sorbent reusability, extraction recovery, and low limits of detection and quantification for a variety of cancer biomarkers, which are a powerful tool to provide early diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment monitoring, with potential clinical application expected soon. This review highlights the key progress, specific modifications, and strategies used for MIP synthesis. The future perspectives for cancer biomarkers purification and determination by fabricating MIP-based techniques are also discussed.

A novel polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane-based hybrid monolith as a sorbent for on-line in-tube solid phase microextraction of bisphenols in milk prior to high performance liquid chromatography-ultraviolet detection analysis

An on-line in-tube solid-phase microextraction (in-tube SPME) coupled with high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method was proposed based on a novel polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane (POSS)-hybrid monolith for the determination of four bisphenols (BPs) in milk. The monolith was synthesized using acrylamide (AM) and monomethacrylate-functionalized POSS (mono-MA-POSS) as functional monomers to copolymerize with ethylene dimethacrylate (EDMA). Due to the abundant hydrogen bonding, π-π and hydrophobic interaction sites, the synthetic monolith displayed satisfying extraction performance for target BPs. Under the optimized conditions, the developed on-line in-tube SPME-HPLC method exhibited low limits of detection (LODs) (0.030-0.055 ng mL^-1). The spiked recoveries were between 85.4 % and 111.8 %, and the relative standard deviations (RSDs) were less than 3.5 % for all the analytes. The results showed that the proposed method provided alternative for the analysis of BPs in complex samples.

Porous polymers from octa(amino-phenyl)silsesquioxane and metalloporphyrin as peroxidase-mimicking enzyme for malathion colorimetric sensor

Rapid and efficient pesticide detection methods are particularly important due to the growing problems of pesticide residues. Here, a new azo-based porous organic polymer, Azo(Fe)PPOP, was prepared from octa(amino-phenyl)silsesquioxane (OAPS) and iron(III) 5,10,15,20-tetrakis(4-nitrophenyl)porphyrin (FeTPP(NO₂)₄) via a simple coupling reaction without the participation of metal catalysts. The inorganic cage units of OAPS endowed Azo(Fe)PPOP a porous framework, high surface area, favorably thermal and chemical stability. In Azo(Fe)PPOP, iron(III) porphyrin units were individually isolated in a fixed location, which could effectively avoid dimerization or self-oxidation as happens as in the case of porphyrin monomers. Such a unique structure made Azo(Fe)PPOP exhibit an excellent peroxidase-like catalytic performance in the presence of H₂O₂ and 3,3',5,5'-tetramethylbenzidine (TMB). Because of these advantages, we established a selective, facile, and sensitive colorimetric platform for direct detection of malathion within a very short time (3 min) with a low detection limit (8.5 nM). In addition, the recognition mechanism between Azo(Fe)PPOP and malathion was verified using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy spectra. The practicality of the constructed platform was further executed by the detection of the pesticide in soil and food samples.

The "Lab4treat" Outreach Experience: Preparation of Sustainable Magnetic Nanomaterials for Remediation of Model Wastewater

The Lab4treat experience has been developed to demonstrate the use of magnetic materials in environmental applications. It was projected in the frame of the European project Mat4Treat, and it was tested several times in front of different audiences ranging from school students to the general public in training and/or divulgation events. The experience lends itself to discuss several aspects of actuality, physics and chemistry, which can be explained by modulating the discussion depth level, in order to meet the interests of younger or more experienced people and expand their knowledge. The topic is relevant, dealing with the recycling of urban waste and water depollution. The paper is placed within the field of water treatment for contaminant removal; therefore, a rich collection of recent (and less recent) papers dealing with magnetic materials and environmental issues is described in the Introduction section. In addition, the paper contains a detailed description of the experiment and a list of the possible topics which can be developed during the activity. The experimental approach makes the comprehension of scientific phenomena effective, and, from this perspective, the paper can be considered to be an example of interactive teaching.

A silsesquioxane-porphyrin-based porous organic polymer as a highly efficient and recyclable absorbent for wastewater treatment

Effective capture of pollutants from wastewater is crucial for protecting the environment and human health. An azo-based porous organic polymer (AzoPPOP) containing porphyrin and inorganics cage polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane units was synthesized via a catalyst-free coupling reaction. Results showed that AzoPPOP possess a high surface area, a hierarchically porous structure, good thermal stability, abundant adsorption sites, and an electronegative nature. Based on these properties, AzoPPOP had an extremely high adsorption capacity (1357.58 mg g^-1) for RhB, a fast adsorption rate, and good selectivity. Study of the mechanism revealed that in addition to electrostatic interactions, the high specific surface area, existence of -NH₂, and the strong π-π interaction between AzoPPOP and RhB also play important roles for the adsorption of RhB. AzoPPOP also displayed excellent adsorption properties for heavy metal ions (230.45, 192.24 and 162.11 mg g^-1 for Ag⁺, Hg²⁺, and Pb²⁺, respectively). More importantly, simulation of the purification experiment of waste water and the recycling regeneration experiment revealed that AzoPPOP has good high-level recyclability and could remove multi-pollutants in one pass through a simple adsorption column.

Recent progress in using hybrid silicon polymer composites for wastewater treatment

Heavy metal ions, oil and organic pollutants in water does not only cause serious water pollution, but also pose serious threats to ecosystems and human health. To this end, water pollution has gradually gained human attention, and various wastewater treatment methods are emerging. Organosilicon polymer composites are a class of materials that contain organic-inorganic hybrid structures with the characteristics of hydrophobicity, thermal stability and easy modification, which provides a brand new solution for wastewater treatment. In this review, various structural features including amorphous, linear, and cage structure of silicon containing polymer composites and the removal mechanism targeting at heavy metal ions, oil and organic pollutants of silicon containing polymer composites are summarized. The viewpoints and challenges in adsorption and engineering application are discussed, and possible solutions are proposed.

Reverse-phase/phenylboronic-acid-type magnetic microspheres to eliminate the matrix effects in amatoxin and phallotoxin determination via ultrahigh-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry

In this study, we present the preparation of a new reverse-phase/phenylboronic-acid (RP/PBA)-type mixed-mode magnetic solid-phase extraction (MSPE) adsorbent for use in the cleanup of amatoxin- and phallotoxin-containing samples intended for ultrahigh-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS) analysis. Further, the RP/PBA magnetic microspheres have phenyl and phenylboronic acid groups on their surfaces that selectively adsorb amatoxins and phallotoxins through hydrophobic, π-π, and boronate affinity, significantly reducing matrix effects in UPLC-MS/MS analysis. After systematic optimization, all the standard calibration curves expressed satisfactory linearity (r > 0.9930), limits of detection (0.3 μg/kg), and recovery (97.6%-114.2%). Compared with other reported methods, this method also has the advantages of simple, fast, and efficient operation using relatively small amounts of the MSPE adsorbent. Furthermore, the method was successfully applied in a poisoning incident caused by Lepiota brunneoincarnata Chodat & C. Martín ingestion.

POSS nanostructures in catalysis

In this review we highlight the use of appealing POSS-based nanostructures for both homogeneous and heterogeneous catalytic applications.

A Selenone-Functionalized Polyhedral Oligomeric Silsesquioxane for Selective Detection and Adsorption of Hg2+ ions in Aqueous Solutions

Developing novel functional polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane (POSS) for various applications is highly desirable. Herein we present the first example of a novel selenone-functionalized POSS (POSS-Se) by treating an imidazolium-containing POSS with selenium powder under mild condition. The structure of POSS-Se was characterized by FT-IR, ¹H NMR, ¹³C NMR, ²⁹Si NMR, and elemental analysis. Acid treatment of POSS-Se results in a hydrophilic red-orange colored solid, which is highly sensitive and selective for the detection of Hg²⁺ ions in aqueous solutions by visually observing the color change to pale yellow, and to white. Interestingly, POSS-Se has no activity on this detection. This finding is due to the Se-Se formation by acid-treatment and subsequent coordination-induced cleavage upon the addition of Hg²⁺ ions. The detection behavior can be precisely monitored by a "turn-on" fluorescence phenomenon with the limit of detection (LOD) of 8.48 ppb, comparable to or higher than many reported Hg²⁺ sensors. Moreover, POSS-Se demonstrates a selective and efficient adsorption of Hg²⁺ ions with a maximum capacity of 952 mg g^-1. The value is higher than most reported adsorbents for Hg²⁺ ions, typically thiol and/or thioether functional materials, indicating its promise as an efficient adsorbent for the selective removal of Hg²⁺ ions from industrial wastewater. This work may open up new horizons for the exploration of selenium-containing functional POSS.

Multidentate boronate magnetic adsorbent assembled with polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxanes and intramolecular diboronic acid for improving the binding strength toward glycoproteins

Boronate affinity is an important method for the enrichment and separation of cis-diol containing compounds, but most of the conventional boronate materials suffer from weak binding strength as well as low binding capacity towards glycoproteins due to the use of single boronic acids as ligands. In this work, a novel multidentate boronate magnetic adsorbent was assembled by using amined polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane as spacer and a diboronic acid as ligand. The specially designed adsorbent exhibited high adsorption capacity for cis-diols due to the high density of phenylbronic acid moieties. More interestingly, the dissociation constants toward glycoproteins on the material were lowered to be ∼10-6 M, being at least 3 orders lower than the single boronic acid bonded adsorbents. By comparing the binding properties of small molecules containing one and two pairs of cis-diols, the enhanced binding strength of glycoproteins on the multidentate boronate magnetic adsorbent was attributed to the synergistic binding of glycoproteins on the special interface. The new materials successfully captured glycoproteins from 1000-fold diluted egg white, suggesting that the material could be an optional alternative adsorbent for enriching trace glycoproteins from complex bio-samples.

Highly efficient extraction of lead ions from smelting wastewater, slag and contaminated soil by two-dimensional montmorillonite-based surface ion imprinted polymer absorbent

The rapid, efficient and selective extraction of heavy metal ions is significant for wastewater pretreatment and metal ion recycle. Using montmorillonite as the template substrate and Pb²⁺ as template ions, a novel two-dimensional montmorillonite-based surface ion imprinted polymer (IIP-MMT) adsorbent is successfully synthesized via activators generated by electron transfer for atom transfer radical polymerization (AGET-ATRP). Batch adsorption experiments are performed to assess the properties of the imprinted polymer sorbent, along with its selectivity and reusability in practical extraction of Pb²⁺. It is interesting that the crosslinking density of the imprinted polymer has impact on the sorption property, where suitable density is coupled with the highest adsorption capacity and the best selectivity. Benefiting from the surface-imprinting technique and AGET-ATRP, IIP2-MMT is proved to own a highly effective Pb²⁺ adsorption capacity to reach 158.68 mg/g within 30 min, where the corresponding maximum adsorption capacity is 201.84 mg/g. Moreover, this material exhibits satisfactory stability and reusability that the high adsorptive capability of IIP-MMT retains more than 95% after six cycles. Thus, it is expected to reduce the wastewater disposal expenses. Besides, owing to the characteristics of PHEMA brushes and SHA chelating ligand, IIP-MMT has strong anti-interference and anti-blockage abilities to extract Pb²⁺ from smelting wastewater, slag and contaminated soil. Considering the low cost, excellent stability, high extraction efficiency, environmental friendliness, it is expected that the proposed material is very promising for treatment of heavy metals-contaminated wastewaters and soil, or ion recycle.

Metal-Organic Gels of Catechol-Based Ligands with Ni(II) Acetate for Dye Adsorption

Metal organic gels (MOGs) are a class of supramolecular complexes, which have attracted widespread interest because of the coupled advantages of inorganic and organic building blocks. A new compound terminated with catechol was synthesized. This new compound can be used to coordinate with Ni²⁺ to form MOGs. These MOGs show favorable viscoelasticity and wormhole-shaped porous structures, which were confirmed by transmission electron microscope and scanning electronic microscope images. Taking the benefits of porosity into account, the xerogel could serve as an adsorbent to adsorb dye molecules from the aqueous media. The experimental results indicate that xerogels possess good adsorption effect both on anionic and cationic dyes. Exhaustive research has been performed on the adsorption kinetics and isotherms, revealing that the adsorption process accords with the pseudo-second-order model and the Langmuir model.

Salt-Responsive Fe3O4 Nanocomposites and Phase Behavior in Water

The ability to achieve exquisite control over polymer building blocks within multicompartment magnetite nanocomposites (NCs) to afford predictable and ordered packing hierarchical structures remains a significant challenge for the design of NCs. Thus, there is an urgent need to develop new types of nano-dimensional assemblies that undergo responsive shape shift, size, phase, and morphological transitions, especially for processes that are triggered by biologically relevant stimuli such as ionic gradients to meet the demand for diverse applications. Accordingly, we report an unprecedented concept for the preparation of salt-responsive magnetite/polyaniline composite nanoassemblies with chemically distinct dual-compartment structures. The size, shape, and nano-dimensional phase separation of the PANI assemblies within NCs were adjusted in a facile manner with incremental changes in salt gradients using NaCl(aq). Composition effects bestow desirable diversiform shape, size, and phase behavior of the incorporated conductive polymer via dynamic H-bonding. The size, shape, and superparamagnetic character of iron oxide nanoparticles (IONPs) are unaffected by a "salting-in" process. The mechanism, gradual morphological evolution, interchangeable nanophase separation, and ion-stimulated disassembly of PANI building blocks for these magneto/ion-responsive polymer-composites at elevated ionic strength are strongly supported by DLS, Raman spectroscopy, TEM, and equilibrium dye (MB/MO) recognition studies.

Synergic Adsorption-Biodegradation by an Advanced Carrier for Enhanced Removal of High-Strength Nitrogen and Refractory Organics

Coking wastewater contains not only high-strength nitrogen but also toxic biorefractory organics. This study presents simultaneous removal of high-strength quinoline, carbon, and ammonium in coking wastewater by immobilized bacterial communities composed of a heterotrophic strain Pseudomonas sp. QG6 (hereafter referred as QG6), ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB), and anaerobic ammonium oxidation bacteria (anammox). The bacterial immobilization was implemented with the help of a self-designed porous cubic carrier that created structured microenvironments including an inner layer adapted for anaerobic bacteria, a middle layer suitable for coaggregation of certain aerobic and anaerobic bacteria, and an outer layer for heterotrophic bacteria. By coating functional polyurethane foam (FPUF) with iron oxide nanoparticles (IONPs), the biocarrier (IONPs-FPUF) could provide a good outer-layer barrier for absorption and selective treatment of aromatic compounds by QG6, offer a conducive environment for anammox in the inner layer, and provide a mutualistic environment for AOB in the middle layer. Consequently, simultaneous nitrification and denitrification were reached with the significant removal of up to 322 mg L^-1 (98%) NH₄, 311 mg L^-1 (99%) NO₂, and 633 mg L^-1 (97%) total nitrogen (8 mg L^-1 averaged NO₃ concentration was recorded in the effluent), accompanied by an efficient removal of chemical oxygen demand by 3286 mg L^-1 (98%) and 350 mg L^-1 (100%) quinoline. This study provides an alternative way to promote synergic adsorption and biodegradation with the help of a modified biocarrier that has great potential for treatment of wastewater containing high-strength carbon, toxic organic pollutants, and nitrogen.

Facile Preparation of Titanium(IV)-Immobilized Hierarchically Porous Hybrid Monoliths

Hierarchically porous materials have become a key feature of biological materials and have been widely applied for adsorption or catalysis. Herein, we presented a new approach to directly prepare a phosphate-functionalized hierarchically porous hybrid monolith (HPHM), which simultaneously contained mesopores and macropores. The design was based on the copolymerization of polyhedral oligomeric vinylsilsesquioxanes (vinylPOSS) and vinylphosphonic acid (VPA) by adding degradable polycaprolactone (PCL) additive. The phosphate groups could be directly introduced into the hybrid monoliths. This approach was simple and time-saving, and overcame the defect of a rigorous, complex process for preparing traditional Ti⁴⁺-immobilized metal ion affinity chromatography (IMAC) materials. The specific surface area of an optimal hybrid monolith could reach 502 m²/g obtained by nitrogen adsorption/desorption measurements, which originated from the degradation of PCL. Meanwhile, the characterization of scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and mercury intrusion porosimetry (MIP) also suggested that the macropores existed in the hybrid monoliths. The size of macropores could be controlled by the content of PCL in the polymerization mixture. The prepared Ti⁴⁺-IMAC HPHMs exhibited high adsorption capacity (63.6 mg/g for pyridocal 5'-phosphatemonohydrate), and excellent enrichment specificity (tryptic digest of β-casein/BSA at a molar ratio of 1:1000) and sensitivity (tryptic digest of 5 fmol of β-casein). Moreover, the Ti⁴⁺-IMAC HPHMs provided effective enrichment ability of low-abundance phosphopeptides from human serum and HeLa cell digests.

Preparation of high-quality activated carbon from polyethyleneterephthalate (PET) bottle waste. Its use in the removal of pollutants in aqueous solution

A waste-treats-waste approach has been used for the removal of two common pollutants, namely p-nitrophenol and/or Fe(III) from aqueous solution. Polyethyleneterephthalate (PET) from bottle waste has been used as the precursor for the preparation of activated carbons (ACs) by physical activation with steam and chemical activation with potassium hydroxide under controlled heating conditions and atmospheres. The resulting ACs were characterized in terms of chemical composition, porous texture and surface chemistry, and morphology. Selected ACs were tested as adsorbents for the removal of the aforementioned pollutants in aqueous solution. For comparison purposes, a commercial AC was also used. In general, the yield of the process of preparation of ACs is lower than 10% with steam and between 24.62 and 32.07% with potassium hydroxide. ACs possess a very high carbon content and a very low ash content. The BET surface areas reach 1235 m(2) g(-1) with steam and 1002 m(2) g(-1) with potassium hydroxide at most. Also, the degrees of development of micro- and mesoporosity are markedly larger with steam. Conversely, the development of macroporosity is much larger with potassium hydroxide. The PET-derived ACs exhibit a better adsorption behavior towards p-nitrophenol than the commercial AC, both in terms of adsorption rate and adsorption capacity. On the contrary, the commercial AC acts as a better adsorbent of Fe(III) ions. As compared to separately, the simultaneous presence of both solutes in the adsorptive solution scarcely affects the adsorption process except for equilibrium for Fe(III).