Activated Carbon from Rice Husk: Optimization and Characterization

Abstract

There is a growing demand for sustainable alternatives to petroleum based fuels to be used in the preparation of activated carbon for energy and manufacturing sector. Rice husk (RH) is widely available in rice producing countries and found to be good source for activated carbon. The present study proposes the optimization and characterization of activated carbon from rice husk in a single step using response surface methodology with the full factorial design. In this study, rice husk was carbonized at fixed temperature and activated at different temperatures (700–900°C) and residence times (60–90 min). The optimum condition for recovery, iodine value and surface area was achieved at 900°C and 60 min residence time with desirability being 65%. The recovery, iodine value and surface area at optimum conditions were 19.80%, 865.77 mg/g, and 589.67m2/g, respectively. Overall, the carbonization and activation in a single step resulted god quality of activated carbon for variety of applications.