Pore-Matching Adsorption of Fullerenols by Cuttlebone Material with Suitable Pore Size

Fullerenols (PHFs) are emerging pollutants with health risks, yet conventional adsorbents suffer from small pore sizes, limited effective pore quantities, and low unit area adsorption capacities. This study used cuttlebone (CB), a fishery waste, to prepare carbonized CB (CCB), acid-modified CB (HCB), and a combined carbonized and acidified CB (HCCB) as adsorbents for PHF. These modified adsorbent materials showed increases in effective pores (50–200 nm) for PHF adsorption: 33% (CCB), 23% (HCB), and 41% (HCCB). The initial adsorption rate and adsorption capacity of CCB for PHF increased with higher pyrolysis temperatures due to reduced electrostatic repulsion, increased π–π interactions, and the transformation of aragonite into calcite of CB calcium carbonate skeleton. Acid modification enhances pore filling and thus capacity but slows kinetics via longer intraparticle diffusion; both effects intensify with higher acid concentration and longer treatment. The unit area adsorption capacities of CCB, HCB, and HCCB for PHF were 3.11, 1.18, and 2.11 mg/m 2 , much higher than traditional materials. This research effectively removes PHF and upgrades marine waste into a high-value adsorbent, practicing “pollution control through waste utilization.” The results have both pollution control and circular economy value, expanding sustainable and low-cost material paths, promoting the integration of multiple disciplines such as environmental engineering, materials science, and marine science, and providing new ideas for the treatment of nanomaterial pollutants.