Abstract
Activated carbons (AC) are high porosity and adsorptive carbonaceous materials. These adsorbents can be produced using different organic materials. Precursor material properties may impact their quality. This study aimed to produce activated carbon from Tectona grandis wood wastes, besides determining efficiency in adsorption of different pollutants. Chemical activation, with ZnCl2 (AC_ZnCl2) and CuSO4 (AC_CuSO4), and physical activation, with CO2 (AC_CO2) were performed. Activated carbons were characterized by FTIR, surface functional groups (Boehm) and surface area analysis. Moreover, ACs were tested regarding adsorption capacity of methylene blue (MB), phenol and Cr+6 ions in aqueous medium. Higher total pore volume (0.62 cm³ g-¹), micropore volume (0.31 cm³ g-¹) and surface area (524.50 m² g-¹) were obtained in AC_ZnCl2, which was also the most effective in MB and phenol adsorption. AC_CuSO4 obtained high adsorption capacity for phenol and presented functional groups different from the other AC. AC_CO2 was the second with better adsorption performance for all pollutants. Keywords: Activation process. Adsorbent. Forest wastes. Raw material.
Highlights
Activated carbons were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy analysis (FTIR), surface functional groups (Boehm) and surface area analysis
Activated carbon (AC) is a carbonaceous material efficiently used in many environmental remediation processes in the removal of a wide range of pollutants
Activated carbons (AC) is commonly used in chemical, petrochemical and pharmaceutical industries, due to its high adsorption capacity [1, 2]
Summary
Activated carbon (AC) is a carbonaceous material efficiently used in many environmental remediation processes in the removal of a wide range of pollutants. The AC quality is governed by adsorption capacity of specific adsorbate. Adsorption capacity is mainly controlled by surface área, internal porous structure and surface chemistry [3, 4], other factors can affect such as pH, Temperature, contact time, stirring speed, internal structure and adsorbate properties. In Brazil, activated carbon production is not enough to supply national demand, leading the country to significant dependence on international product. The largest Brazilian AC producers currently use cattle bones and coconut endocarp as precursor materials. As a result, they are facing difficulties in finding raw materials and, at the same time, some precursors have many drawbacks such as variation in properties, high production cost and logistical-supply challenges.
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