Preparation of XCu@TiO2 adsorbent for high-efficient PH3 removal in anaerobic environment and evaluation of desulfurization activity of deactivated adsorbent

In this study, we prepared high-performance copper-modified adsorbent (XCu@TiO2) via a simple and low-cost strategy to achieve efficient removal of PH3 under anaerobic conditions. The effects of copper loading and reaction temperature on the performance of the adsorbent are first investigated, and the experimental results demonstrated that the optimal adsorbent (30Cu@TiO2) had the highest PH3 breakthrough capacity (135.73 mg(PH3)‧gadsorbent-1) among all the tested adsorbents. Further characterization analysis confirmed that CuO is the active component of the adsorbent, and the excellent dephosphorization performance is attributed to its abundant alkaline sites, sufficient active oxygen, and developed pore structure. While the consumption of CuO and the accumulation of phosphorus species (H3PO4, Cu3P) on the surface and internal pores of the adsorbent are the main reasons for the deactivation of the adsorbent. Strikingly, the deactivation of the adsorbent converts its active component CuO into the P-type semiconductor Cu3P with high added value, implying that the deactivated adsorbent (Cu3P/TiO2) is a multifunctional material, and the desulfurization experiments also confirm the reusability of the deactivated adsorbent. Overall, XCu@TiO2 is a promising and efficient PH3 adsorbent that can effectively avoid the risk of secondary pollution during the treatment and regeneration of deactivated adsorbents.