Preparation of activated carbon monolith from waste biomass using solvated polystyrene-based binder

Abstract

ABSTRACT This study demonstrated the production of activated carbon monoliths from biomass waste (Delonix regia pods) using a facile method. This was achieved using solvated polystyrene as the binder, which has never been achieved in the past, and KOH as the activating agent. The monolith’s pore structures, functional group, morphology, and elemental composition were all investigated. According to the results, the monolith was found to have mesoporous properties, with a surface area of 314.9 m2/g and a pore size of 2.45 nm. Several functional groups, including nitro, carboxyl, and carbonyl groups, were identified, which confirms the potential applications of the monolith. Meanwhile, the KOH activator causes the production of particles with various clusters. The results demonstrated that solvated polystyrene has the ability to function as a binder in monolithic formation and are comparable to those of earlier investigations.