Characterization analysis of activated carbon derived from the carbonization process of plane tree (Platanus orientalis) seeds

Abstract

In this work, plane tree seed-based activated carbons were characterized in detail for a variety of applications. The particularly important area of application would be in the artificial photosynthesis. After carbonization process of biomass precursor at 650°C, the resulting preliminary activated carbons were activated at various temperatures. The activated carbons were characterized by oxygen functionalities (a particularly important role has ester oxygen groups) which provide a unique microstructure. The chemical compositions of as-prepared activated carbons were analyzed through Fourier transform infrared and Raman spectra as well as gas chromatography–mass spectroscopy analysis, while morphology was observed by scanning electron microscopy analysis. Applied analysis showed that detected graphite mainly becomes uniformly nanocrystalline system. The current study also explored the applicability of carbon material obtained from plane tree seed as a potential gaseous adsorbent. The characterization showed that the tested material contains both mesopores and micropores, and this should be advantageous for the gas sorption process, since mesopores may provide low-resistant pathways for the diffusion of CO2 molecules, while the micropores are the most suitable for trapping of CO2. The sorption process analysis (including adsorption/desorption isotherms behavior) shows indication that the rate-limiting step of CO2 adsorption onto activated carbon is probably governed by diffusion-controlled process, especially at temperatures below 850°C.