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The presence of polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) in the car is due to their use as a flame retardant additive in various car components such as dashboard, plastic parts, seat and headliner cushion foams, insulated cables, and electronic circuits. Ingestion of dust inadvertently or dermal contact to dust are significant pathways of human exposure to pollutants including PBDEs. There are no studies documenting presence of car dust associated flame retardants in Turkey. In the current study, a total of 13 PBDEs congeners were investigated in 62 car dust samples collected from Bursa province of Turkey using glass-fiber filters and a vacuum cleaner. Results of the study showed that congener concentrations were within the range of

This work reports the production of activated carbons (AC) from bitter orange peel by using ZnCl2 or H3PO4 as activating agent at two different carbonization temperatures (450 °C and 550 °C). Surface morphology analyses of produced bitter orange activated carbons (BOACs) were done by SEM. The surface areas of the produced BOACs, functional groups on the AC surfaces and compositions, were determined by using BET, FT-IR, and TGA analyses. Furthermore, their application for the removal of methylene blue (MB) was studied. The parameters affecting adsorption, such as pH and temperature, were evaluated. BOAC produced with ZnCl2 at 550 °C, exhibits the highest surface area (1450.6 m2 g−1), whereas BOAC produced with ZnCl2 at 450 °C yielded with the highest adsorption capacity (108.9 m2 g−1). Langmuir isotherm shows a good fit for the BOACs. Adsorption kinetics were studied and follows pseudo-second-kinetic model. The thermodynamic parameter studies indicate that the adsorption process is endothermic and spontaneous.