Synthesis of Activated Porous Carbon from Red Dragon Fruit Peel Waste for Highly Active Catalytic Reduction in Toxic Organic Dyes

Abstract

In this study, an alternative precursor for production of biomass-derived activated carbon was introduced using dragon fruit (Hylocereus costaricensis) peels. Chemical activators such as FeCl3, MgCl2, ZnCl2 were used in the thermal carbonization process to convert carbon into porous carbon (PC). However, heteroatom-doped PC catalysts including N-, B-, and P-doped carbon catalysts in the field of dye removal is highly desirable. Several approaches (XRD, FE-SEM/TEM, XPS, FT-IR, EDS, and elemental mapping) were employed to examine the surface morphology, surface properties, and elemental composition of the PC catalyst. The catalytic activity of metal-free PC catalyst was demonstrated for methylene blue (MB), crystal violet (CV), and Nile blue (NB) in a mild environment The corresponding rate constant (kapp) values were estimated as 0.2473, 0.3248, and 0.3056 min−1, respectively, for MB, CV, and NB, which were significantly greater than those of numerous reports. It exhibited the best catalytic activity and recyclability. Moreover, the approach proposed here could create new opportunities for the remediation of organic dyes in lakes and industrial wastewater.