Rapid fabrication of shaped cyclodextrin-based porous carbons for efficient PAHs capture

Shaping of adsorbents is crucial for their practical implementation in chemical processes, yet often constitutes a synthesis bottleneck. Herein, we report the rapid, one-pot synthesis and direct shaping of a series of novel porous organic polymers based on cyclodextrin (CD) and p-phenylene diisocyanate (PPDI). The porosity of these monolithic materials was further tailored through controlled carbonization at elevated temperatures, yielding hierarchically structured carbons with tunable micro- and mesopores. Their adsorption performance was evaluated towards polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), key chemical feedstocks and prevalent contaminants in catalytic cracking diesel. The optimized carbon, derived from β-CD-PPDI carbonized at 1000 °C (β-CD-PPDI-1000), exhibits a high BET surface area of 913 m 2  g −1 and demonstrates excellent PAHs uptake capacities (16.55 mg g −1 for naphthalene, 62.04 mg g −1 for anthracene, 12.00 mg g −1 for acenaphthene, and 35.25 mg g −1 for acenaphthylene). The adsorption process was analyzed through kinetic and equilibrium studies, revealing key mechanisms underlying the uptake behavior. These results position the shaped polymers and their derived porous carbons as promising, high-performance adsorbents for diesel purification. The presented strategy of rapid synthesis coupled with direct shaping offers a scalable and efficient pathway for manufacturing practical adsorbents, highlighting significant potential for industrial application in chemical engineering.