Environmental Applications of Activated Carbon

Abstract

Human-caused global warming and water/air contamination are important environmental pollution and climate change problems. These problems are being exacerbated by the improper discharge of a substantial number of agro-forest by-products, dyes, heavy metal ions, pesticides, pharmaceutical waste products, and volatile organic products, which can contribute to global warming, and their inappropriate waste management contributes to environmental pollution. The transformation of these waste materials into useful smart materials such as activated carbon (AC) is a potential waste management and environmental remediation technique. ACs are made from a variety of agricultural wastes and have been widely employed as adsorbents for decades. Various physical and chemical treatments can be used to bring different functions to their surface. The basic features of AC, as well as the surface chemistry that results from physical and chemical treatment, are discussed in this chapter. The adsorption process, several adsorption isotherms, and adsorption kinetics are also discussed. There is also a brief description of the mechanisms of adsorption onto AC. Finally, the most likely applications of AC are discussed, including adsorption of pollutants, catalytic support, energy storage, and use in the food and pharmaceutical sectors.