Enhanced adsorption of ammonia and total nitrogen by activated carbon fibres dual-modified with HNO3 and NaOH

Abstract Nitrogen serves as an important driver of eutrophication in water bodies, with its excessive inputs posing considerable threats to aquatic ecosystems. In order to remove nitrogen pollutants efficiently, activated carbon fibres (ACFs) were dual-modified with HNO3 and NaOH to improve their adsorption performance in aqueous solution. Batch experiments on surface characteristics and adsorption effects on ammonia nitrogen (NH3-N) and total nitrogen (TN) were conducted to assess the adsorptio