Ethylene Scavenger from Brick Ash: A Sustainable Alternative

Abstract

Most commercially available ethylene scavengers are based on potassium permanganate (KMnO4) which have limitations due to food safety issues. In the present study, an industrial byproduct brick ash that has a significant capacity to adsorb ethylene at room temperature is reported. The material is subjected to thermal treatment for activation and subsequently characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), particle size and surface analysis, Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy studies, and elemental composition analysis. A significant change was observed in the surface morphology of brick ash obtained from SEM and Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) analysis wherein the surface of brick ash became highly porous after being activated at 1000 °C. This was accompanied by reduction in the average particle size of brick ash to <250 μm. The ethylene adsorption capacity was estimated using a 200-ppm commercial ethylene gas stream. It was observed that observed that the ethylene adsorption capacity increased from 52.5 ± 3.5 μL/g to 187.28 ± 6.2 μL/g as the temperature of activation varied from 500 °C to 1000 °C, respectively. The adsorption of ethylene on the brick ash was confirmed by the observance of FTIR peaks at 1380 and 1872 cm–1. The practical applicability of the developed ethylene scavenger was evaluated through shelf life studies on bananas, conducted at 22–24 °C and 65% relative humidity. Analysis of various quality parameters concluded that the treated sample showed an increase in shelf life of 8 days, compared to the control sample. The comparison was made with commercially available KMnO4-based ethylene scavengers that showed similar scavenging capacity. Thus, brick ash can be an effective and sustainable alternative ethylene scavenger to extend the shelf life of ethylene-sensitive fresh produce.