Production Of Activated Carbon Research Articles

Prospective Life Cycle Assessment Prospective (LCA) of Activated Carbon Production, Derived from Banana Peel Waste for Methylene Blue Removal

Prospective Life Cycle Assessment Prospective (LCA) of Activated Carbon Production, Derived from Banana Peel Waste for Methylene Blue Removal

Fabrication of Activated Carbon Derived from Glycerin Pitch for Desulfurization of Model Fuel Oil and Electrode Application.

One of the world's challenging energy issues is introducing practical and affordable technology for organosulfur removal in fuel. Adsorptive desulfurization (ADS) can address this issue if highly effective activated carbon (AC) derived from industrial waste with excellent textural properties is used. In this study, the derived ACs from glycerin pitch loaded with P and Fe (AC/P and AC/Fe) were used as adsorbents for the ADS of model fuel oils, such as dibenzothiophene (DBT) at mild operating conditions. Under the optimized experimental conditions, 0.3 g of adsorbent dosage, 60 min reaction time, 30 °C temperature, and pH 4, the maximal DBT removal of 96.28 and 43.64%, respectively, for AC/P and AC/Fe was realized. The results indicated that the phosphorus-doped AC/P increases the selectivity of the ADS mechanism for DBT removal. Kinetic investigations disclosed that the adsorption process follows second-pseudo-order kinetics and the Langmuir adsorption isotherm model. The adsorbents remained active for five successive reuses, indicating their robust real-world applications. The electrochemical properties of the fabricated carbon electrodes were analyzed via cyclic voltammetry by coating the ACs with polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) as a binder. The transition-metal-doped AC/Fe, though exhibiting 5 times lower surface area, showed the highest specific capacitance at a scan rate of 5 mVs-1 (0.65 μF cm-2). Similarly, the extended AC:PTFE capacitor at a 10% binder ratio offered the maximum capacitance value (1.13 μF cm-2). The synthesized ACs demonstrated potential application as an electrode material, and hence glycerin pitch could be a low-cost precursor to improve the feasibility of commercial production of AC.

Blended Nephelium lappaceum and Durio zibethinus wastes for activated carbon production via microwave-ZnCl2 activation: optimization for methylene blue dye removal

Herein, this work targets to employ the blended fruit wastes including rambutan (Nephelium lappaceum) peel and durian (Durio zibethinus) seed as a promising precursor to produce activated carbon (RPDSAC). The generation of RPDSAC was accomplished through a rapid and practical procedure (microwave-ZnCl2 activation). To evaluate the adsorptive capabilities of RPDSAC, its efficacy in eliminating methylene blue (MB), a simulated cationic dye, was measured. The Box–Behnken design (BBD) was utilized to optimize the crucial adsorption parameters, namely A: RPDSAC dose (0.02–01 g/100 mL), B: pH (4–10), and C: time (2–6 min). The BBD design determined that the highest level of MB removal (79.4%) was achieved with the condition dosage of RPDSAC at 0.1 g/100 mL, contact time (6 min), and pH (10). The adsorption isotherm data is consistent with the Freundlich concept, and the pseudo-second-order versions adequately describe the kinetic data. The monolayer adsorption capacity (qmax ) of RPDSAC reached 120.4 mg/g at 25 °C. Various adsorption mechanisms are involved in the adsorption of MB dye onto the surface of RPDSAC, including π–π stacking, H-bonding, pore filling, and electrostatic forces. This study exhibits the potential of the RPDSAC as an adsorbent for removal of toxic cationic dye (MB) from contaminated wastewater.

Towards low-cost and sustainable activated carbon production: Influence of microwave activation time on yield and CO2 uptake of PET-derived adsorbents

Microwave (MW) heating is proposed as a method to transform polyethylene terephthalate (PET) into porous adsorbents. The yield, textural properties, and CO2 uptake of the PET-derived adsorbents irradiated at different durations (3 – 35 min) at 400 °C were assessed. MW activation time influenced both the physical properties and CO2 uptake capacities of the resulting adsorbents. The yield decreased with activation time, but the surface area, total pore volume, micropore volume, and CO2 uptake capacities all increased with MW activation time before declining. The optimal sample (produced with 5 min of MW activation time) showed improved textural properties as well as higher equilibrium and dynamic CO2 uptakes than the commercial activated carbon used as reference. This adsorbent also possesses good selectivity for CO2 in the binary 10:90%vol/vol CO2: N2 mixture. Additionally, an excellent recyclability over 20 cycles, (Regeneration Efficiency > 97%) was observed, and the CO2 adsorption kinetics best fits Lagergren’s pseudo-second-order model. This study has shown that a low activation temperature (400 °C), a short MW activation time (5 min), and a low amount of chemical agent (KOH, 0.72 M) could produce CO2 adsorbents from a cheap and abundant material (PET-waste) with better CO2 uptake to that of a commercial activated carbon.

Optimization and characterization of paddy stalks-based activated carbon by physical activation: Box-Behnken design approach

Improper disposal of paddy stalks residue via open burning or soil incorporation creates contamination hazards by releasing particulate matter, residue ash, and breakdown chemicals into the environment. This study aimed to repurpose these stalks by converting them into activated carbon. Box Behnken Design BBD within the response surface methodology (RSM) framework was adopted. The independent variables of the preparation conditions were the holding time, heating rate and activation temperature. The optimization process response was the surface area of activated carbon. The paddy stalks based activated carbon (PSAC) was subjected to a suite of physicochemical characterization techniques including BET, FTIR, XRD and SEM. The highest surface area of 488.6 m2/g was obtained at heating rate of 10 min/°C, contact time of 120 min and activation temperature of 500 °C. The statistical analysis showed that contact time achieved the highest significancy, followed by activation temperature and heating rate. The activated carbon exhibited pore sizes spanning from 2 nm to over 269 nm, creating pores sufficiently broad to fit some toxic contaminants. The findings demonstrate the viability of paddy stalks for activated carbon production, introducing a sustainable stalk residue disposal solution that promotes environmental sustainability.

Activated carbon production from algal biochar: Chemical activation and feasibility analysis

Chemical activation was employed to convert algal biochar obtained from hydrothermal carbonization of lipid-extracted algae (LEA) to activated carbon. Potassium hydroxide, previously utilized on cellulosic biomass but not on algal biomass, was employed as activating agent and the impact of the activation conditions, namely temperature, activation time, and amount of activating agent, were investigated. The yield of activated carbon from biochar ranged from 28 % to 52% and decreased as the temperature was raised from 400 to 600 °C, the residence time from 30 to 60 min, and the KOH/biochar mass ratio from 0.25 to 1.0. In contrast, surface area increased by 2.1-fold when the activation temperature was raised to 600 °C and by 1.5-fold when the KOH: biochar ratio was raised to 1.0. Maximum BET surface area of 847 m2/g was achieved at 600 °C after 30 min at a mass ratio of 1:1. The integrated hydrothermal carbonization and activation process of LEA was simulated in Aspen Plus® and the technoeconomic feasibility was assessed based on our experimental data at 1,000 and 10,000 acres of cultivation area. For the latter, net present value analysis determined a minimum selling price of $2,200/ton for algal activated carbon with a financial breakeven achieved in 3.5 years. This is cost-competitive with the current price of commercial fossil-derived activated carbon, which is $1,543-$2,645/ton. Sensitivity analysis showed that the minimum selling price is significantly affected by algal biomass yield during cultivation and is more sensitive to the operating expenses than to the capital investment.

Gold recovery from cyanidation residue by chloride leaching and carbon adsorption – Preliminary results from CICL process

There is a vast amount of globally underutilized low-grade mine tailings and leach residues, including those from primary processing of gold. In this research, the target is to recover the remaining gold (10.9 g/t) from weathered refractory iron-rich residue that had previously been subject to autoclave oxidation, subsequent cyanidation in a conventional carbon-in-leach (CIL) circuit as well as storage at tailings area. Chloride leaching has been considered as one of the most promising cyanide-free gold leaching methods and it has shown positive outcomes in treating primary gold ores, concentrates, and flotation tailings. Therefore, in the current study, the iron-rich residue investigated was subjected to chloride leaching combined with simultaneous carbon adsorption. The investigated parameters included leaching time (2–8 h), chloride concentration ([Cl−] = 0.2–5 M), type and concentration of oxidant ([Cu2+]/[Fe3+] = 0.1–1 M), as well as type and concentration of activated carbon (14–25 g/L), whereas S/L ratio (100 g/L), acidity (pH = 1), and temperature (90 °C) were kept constant. Leaching results indicate that up to 40% of the remaining gold could still be recovered from the investigated residue with optimized chloride leaching. According to the results, the most important parameter for gold recovery was the leaching time. Moreover, of the studied oxidants, cupric ions were shown to contribute more to gold recovery when compared to ferric ions (35% vs. 24% at [Cu2+]/[Fe3+] = 0.1 M). Nevertheless, an increase of cupric concentration from 0.1 M (low-concentrated) to 0.5 M, resulted in only a slight increase in gold recovery (from 36% to 40%), whereas no further improvement in gold recovery was achieved with a 1 M cupric concentration. Two studied activated carbon products showed equal effectiveness in gold adsorption. In-situ carbon adsorption was shown to occur effectively in chloride media, as all dissolved gold could be detected in the activated carbon, and the concentration of remaining gold in the pregnant leach solution was minimal (< 0.02 mg/L). These findings indicate that low-concentrated chloride leaching of leach residues from industrial gold processes can allow an enhanced recovery of gold from previously mined and treated raw materials.

Optimizing Activated Carbon Production from Waste Cashew Nut Shell with Zinc Chloride: A Box-Behnken Design and Group Method of Data Handling (GMDH) Application

In this study, Response surface methodology (RSM) and innovative Group Method of Data Handling (GMDH) approaches are applied to investigate the optimal process conditions of zinc chloride activated cashew nut production process. The effects of activation conditions (i.e. activation temperature, activation time, and impregnation ratio) on the achievable BET surface areas were studied with the aid of Box Behnken Design (BBD) and GMDH. Comparative analyses of RSM and GMDH-type neural models were further researched. During the process, the polynomial model equations developed were modified and fine-tuned to predict the highest BET surface area(s) using regression analysis and GMDH multi-layered iterative algorithm (MIA). Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) revealed that the significant factor(s) were impregnation ratio, impregnation ratio product, and the 2-way interactions (activation temperature and impregnation ratio) for ZnCl2 activated cashew nut shell. The best activation conditions for producing highest BET surface area of 504 m2.g-1 was activation temperature (873K), activation time (60 min), and impregnation ratio (1.50).The proposed GMDH-type BET model was ascertained to be the best model with average correlation coefficient (R) and root mean square error (RMSE) of 0.925 and 32.0 respectively. Sensitivity analysis conducted for GMDH-type neural network also revealed that the activation temperature and activation time with sensitivity values of 90.6% and 74.1% respectively were the most influential parameters in the basic (ZnCl2) activation process. The results of this study show that RSM and GMDH-type neural network could be applied as effective analytical tools for optimizing the ZCNS (zinc chloride-activated cashew nut shells) manufacturing process.

Белсендірілген көмір өндірісі кезінде шығынды газдардың қоршаған ортаға әсерін бағалау

In this article, calculations are proposed to determine harmful emissions into the atmosphere using the example of activated carbon production. Calculations of the concentration of harmful emissions into the atmosphere, assessment of the risks of environmental pollution and public health were made. When developing the technology for producing activated carbon in the composition of materials, potential possible directions of changes in the components of the environment and socio-economic environment and the consequences caused by them as a result of their activities are determined. Measures have been developed to ensure the safety of the technological process and environmental impact. The production task of cleaning the emissions of pollutants into the atmosphere on a device with a nozzle for heat and mass transfer and dust collection in the production of activated carbon has been solved. Based on a preliminary assessment of the impact of the planned activity on the environment, it is possible to draw a conclusion about the sustainability of the environmental and socio-economic environment

Machine learning application for predicting key properties of activated carbon produced from lignocellulosic biomass waste with chemical activation

The successful application of gradient boosting regression (GBR) in machine learning to forecast surface area, pore volume, and yield in biomass-derived activated carbon (AC) production underscores its potential for enhancing manufacturing processes. The GBR model, collecting 17 independent variables for two-step activation (2-SA) and 14 for one-step activation (1-SA), demonstrates effectiveness across three datasets—1-SA, 2-SA, and a combined dataset. Notably, in 1-SA, the GBR model yields R2 values of 0.76, 0.90, and 0.83 for TPV, yield, and SSA respectively, and records R2 of 0.90 and 0.91 for yield in 2-SA and combined datasets. The model highlights the significance of the soaking procedure alongside activation temperature in shaping AC properties with 1-SA or 2-SA, illustrating machine learning's potential in optimizing AC production processes.

Process design and techno-economic analysis of activated carbon derived from anthracite coal

Activated carbon (AC), renowned for its versatile applications in water treatment, air purification, and industrial processes, is a critical component in environmental remediation and resource recovery strategies. This study encompasses the process modeling of AC production using anthracite coal as a precursor, involving multiple activation stages at different operating conditions, coupled with a detailed techno-economic analysis aimed at assessing the operational feasibility and financial viability of the plant. The economic analysis explores the investigation of economic feasibility by performing a detailed cashflow and sensitivity analysis to identify key parameters influencing the plant's economic performance, including raw material and energy prices, operational and process parameters. Capital and operational costs are meticulously evaluated, encompassing raw material acquisition, labor, energy consumption, and equipment investment. Financial metrics like Net Present Value (NPV), Internal Rate of Return (IRR), and payout period (POP) are employed, and the results show that AC selling price, raw material cost and plant capacity are the most influential parameters determining the plant's feasibility. The minimum AC production cost of 1.28 $/kg is obtained, corresponding to coal flow rate of 14,550 kg/h. These findings provide valuable insights for stakeholders, policymakers, and investors seeking to engage in activated carbon production from anthracite.

Elaeis guineensis Jacq.waste-derived as an supercapacitor electrode material with low cost and environmentally friendly

The increasingly rapid development of environmentally friendly porous activated carbon (AC) materials has attracted the attention of researchers. Moreover, the material can be produced from organic waste which is abundantly available. This time, porous active carbon based on green material (palm frond waste) has been successfully prepared and characterized. The application of more efficient, environmentally friendly and cost-effective, methods and production instrument has been optimized in this research. Integrated pyrolysis with carbonization (N2; 600 °C) and physical activation (H2O; 800 °C) produces activated carbon with a high purity level of up to 80 %. Through reviewing N2 gas absorption, it was confirmed that palm frond AC has a specific surface area of 356 m2 g−1, with a rough morphological structure and very rich surface nanopores. Furthermore, XRD characterization confirmed the purity of carbon through good amorphorosity properties with the presence of two wide peaks at diffraction angles of 22-24° and 42-44°. These findings show that the development and innovation of activated carbon production that is more environmentally friendly and cost-effective from palm frond waste is capable of producing active carbon with extraordinary physical characteristics. This palm tree AC has high potential for developing applications such as as an absorption material in air purifiers and water purifiers. Apart from that, these extraordinary characteristics also make palm frond AC suitable for use as electrode material in components of energy storage devices, supercapacitors with specific capacitance 86 F g−1.

Synthesis of Activated Carbon from Rice Husk as A Filter For Iron (Fe) And Copper (Cu) In Well Water

This study focuses on the synthesis of activated carbon through the calcination method, designed as an absorber for iron (Fe) and copper (Cu) metals in well water previously investigated. The raw material utilized for activated carbon production is rice husk waste, with variations in calcination temperatures set at 700°C, 800°C, and 900°C. The characterization of the activated carbon involved XRD testing for phase analysis, SEM-EDX analysis on rice husk to discern the morphology and composition of the activated carbon components, and absorption performance analysis using AAS. The XRD testing results revealed an amorphous shape in samples calcinated at 700°C and 800°C. However, the 900°C samples exhibited the formation of the tridymite phase. SEM-EDX results showcased an increased surface area and a more compact pore structure, attributed to high-temperature calcination. AAS testing results indicated an improvement in the absorption capacity of iron (Fe) and copper (Cu) metals. In this research, each 4 g activated carbon sample proved most effective at reducing the initial iron (Fe) metal content from 8.06 mg/L to <0.009 mg/L, achieving an impressive 99.88% absorption. Furthermore, with every 2 g sample, copper (Cu) metal was efficiently absorbed, reducing the initial content from 3.99 mg/L to <0.006 mg/L, achieving a notable 99.85% absorption.

Valorization of Coffee Residue from Convenience Store and Retail Mass-Selling Store for Producing Highly Porous Carbon Materials and Taiwan Perspectives

In Taiwan, a considerable amount of coffee residue is produced from commercial activities without valuable utilization. To evaluate high-value valorization in the production of highly porous carbon materials, this study investigated the thermochemical properties of coffee residues and further pyrolysis for producing highly porous biochar products at an elevated temperature (i.e., 850 °C) and a moderate residence time of 30 min. Our findings indicate that this biomass has a relatively high calorific value (about 27 MJ/kg, dry basis) due to its low ash and high lignocellulose content. It can be also concluded that the non-activated biochar products are highly porous carbon materials with excellent pore properties (i.e., a BET surface area of about 800 m2/g and a total pore volume of 0.4 cm3/g), which are slightly lower than those of commercial activated carbon products. Based on the above-mentioned results and the high-value circular bio-economy promoted by regulatory policy in Taiwan, the prospects for the possible valorization of coffee residue from commercial shops are addressed here, focusing both on the reuse of plant-based residue (or agricultural waste) as a high-value bioresource in the production of biomass-based fuels and on carbon materials. The former includes solid recovered fuel (SRF) and biomass-to-biogas power. By contrast, the latter aims at the production of plant-based carbon as natural, edible colorants in accordance with the regulation of food safety and sanitation in Taiwan.

Oxidatively modified carbon as a promising material for gold extraction

In this work, we prepare a material termed oxidatively modified carbon (OMC), which significantly outperforms commercial activated carbon products available on the gold mining market. The intriguingly high sorption efficiency of OMC is explained by the graphene oxide (GO) like fine chemical structure of the particles' surface. At the same time, OMC can be easily prepared from readily available carbon sources by wet chemistry protocols with the cost of production ~10 lower than that for GO. The particulate structure of OMC allows simple separation from the used-up solutions. Addition of ammonia to the gold-cyanide solution, additionally boosts sorption capacity of OMC. The developed material can be used in gold mining industry as a sorbent, which can potentially increase the efficiency of the gold extraction process.

Statistical optimization of iodine adsorption for &lt;i&gt;Pentaclethra macrophylla&lt;/i&gt; pods activated carbon production

Efficient production of activated carbon (AC) depends on variables such as feedstock properties, preparation conditions, and activating agents. This study aimed to identify optimal conditions for AC production from African Oil Bean (Pentaclethra macrophylla) Pods (PMps) using potassium hydroxide (KOH) and phosphoric acid (H3PO4) as activating agents. Through a systematic iodine adsorption characterization approach and leveraging Response Surface Methodology as a chemometric tool, the study fine-tuned chemical activation and carbonization parameters (temperature, time, and impregnation ratio) for producing PMACs. The adjustments directly impacted the iodine number (In) and yields (Cy) of the PMACs (PMAC-KOHop and PMAC-H3PO4op). The predicted In and Cy values closely aligned with the observed values – (PMAC-KOHop: 918.58 mg/g predicted vs. 916.56 mg/g observed; PMAC-H3PO4op: 593.44 mg/g predicted vs. 592.88 mg/g observed) and (PMAC-KOHop: 39.60% predicted vs. 39.15% observed; PMAC-H3PO4op: 51.30% predicted vs. 51.10% observed), demonstrating precision of the production process. Key structural properties, including BET specific surface areas (SSA), total pore volumes (Vt), and average pore diameters, exhibited notable differences between the PMAC-KOHop and PMAC-H3PO4op, with the former demonstrating superiority. Particularly, FTIR spectra highlighted higher aromaticity in PMAC-KOHop, revealing the preference for KOH over H3PO4 in the chemical activation of PMps. The high In achieved with the PMAC-KOHop indicated its efficacy as a pollutant adsorbent, aligning with the established attributes of commercial granular activated carbons for pollutants removal from wastewater. This study establishes PMps as a dependable AC precursor, emphasizing the advantages of KOH over H3PO4 in chemical activation. Future research should be directed at investigating PMAC-KOHop adsorption capabilities for diverse pollutants and exploring PMps' potential contributions to metallic or nanocomposite formations with other adsorbents.

Steam activated carbon production from coconut shell charcoal using open top gasifier as heat source

Steam activated carbon production from coconut shell charcoal using open top gasifier as heat source

Tests on the Application of Various Types of Biomass for Activated Carbon Production

Tests on the Application of Various Types of Biomass for Activated Carbon Production

One-stage microwave-assisted activated carbon preparation from Langsat peel raw material for adsorption of iron, manganese and copper from acid mining waste

This study describes the efficacy of microwave technology for the preparation of an activated carbon from Lansium domesticum peel as an adsorbent to adsorb Fe, Cu, and Mn from acid mine waste. In contrast to the conventional pyrolytic carbonization technique, the described method demonstrated several unparalleled advantages, including superior energy efficiency and remarkably rapid processing. The reported microwave irradiation method was able readily to achieve a morphology and extensive surface area similar to that of a sample produced using the traditional pyrolytic carbonization method for 2 hours, and this was accomplished in just 10 minutes. The activated carbon obtained was characterized using SEM-EDX, BET-BJH, and proximate test and applied to adsorb metal ions from acid mine waste to evaluate the isothermal adsorption model. The best power for activated carbon production was 400 watts for 10 minutes, which met the requirements of ASTM D 4607 for determining the iodine value of activated carbon. Optimal mass for adsorbing Fe, Cu, and Mn from acid mine waste was 4 grams with the removal percentages of 94.08%, 83.69%, and 90.67%, respectively. BET surface area was 1367.0385 m2/g along with a BJH cumulative volume and an average pore diameter of 1.112 cm3/g and 2.25 nm, respectively. This suggests that it possesses mesoporous characteristics and adheres to the Langmuir model during the adsorption process, signifying monolayer adsorption. Meanwhile, kinetics followed the pseudo-second-order rate equation.

The Effect of Pre-washing Process with NaOH Solution on the Surface Area in Activated Carbon Production

The alkaline pre-washing process in the production of activated carbon is an important step and a factor that affects the characteristics of activated carbon. Alkaline pre-washing is used to optimize the surface properties of activated carbon, increase its adsorption capacity, and remove unwanted substances.&#x0D; &#x0D; In this study, hazelnut shells were selected as the raw material for producing activated carbon. ZnCl2 was used for chemical activation, and physical activation was carried out at 650 °C. However, prior to the chemical activation process, a pre-washing process with NaOH solution was applied to remove acidic groups present in the raw material. The structural properties of the activated carbon obtained from samples subjected to the pre-washing process and those without the pre-washing process were determined using Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and X-Ray Diffraction (XRD) for surface morphology, Brunauer-Emmet-Teller (BET) for pore size analysis, and Thermogravimetric Analysis (TGA) for temperature-dependent mass loss.&#x0D; &#x0D; The surface area of the activated carbon produced without pre-washing with NaOH solution was found to be 770 m²/g, with a carbon content of 87.10% by weight. After the pre-washing process with NaOH solution and subsequent chemical and physical activation, the surface area of the activated carbon increased to 1935 m²/g, with a carbon content of 95.51% by weight. Therefore, subjecting the raw material to the pre-washing process with NaOH solution not only increased the carbon content but also increased the surface area value by approximately 2.5 times.