Bisphenol A, a monomer widely used in the manufacture of various types of plastics, e.g. polycarbonate, has high toxicity in humans, being a substance that disrupts the endocrine system. The technique of obtaining carbons by hydrothermal process (HTC) shows promise, because it uses low temperature in the process (between 453 K – 523K) and allied to chemical activation, increases the porosity of the material surface, showing promise in the adsorption of this emerging pollutant. Three activated hydrochars were developed for the mentioned studies AHPN 24, AHPN 48 and AHPN 72. The material was characterized by the N2 physisorption process (Table 1), presenting a surface area of 2220 m²g-1. Other characterizations were performed, such as FTIR-ATR, Raman Spectroscopy, SEM, Boehm Titration. In the adsorption study, the best hydrocarbon was AHPN 72, which had a qmax of 746.00 mg g-1. This value is explained by the hydrocarbonization time, which promoted a better arrangement of specific groups on its surface.
In general, the activated hydrocarbons produced with the seed shells of Araucaria angustifolia have shown great promise in the adsorption of Bisphenol A from effluents, being a cheap and environmentally friendly alternative for the process.