Argan Nut Shell Research Articles

Effect of lightweight composite brick’s waste on the removal of malachite green from aqueous solution and phytotoxicity assessment

ABSTRACT This study investigates the removal of malachite green (MG) dye by adsorption process using as adsorbent a waste byproduct from lightweight composite brick production, composed of clay and 5 wt.% argan nut shell and designed as waste bricks (WB). Characterization of the adsorbent (WB) was conducted using several techniques such as XRD, XRF, FTIR, etc. Optimal conditions for the adsorption process of MG dye with WB were carried out, considering adsorbent dose (0.02–0.4 g/mL), pH (2–12), contact time (0–360 min), and MG dye concentration (20–210 mg/L). The obtained outcomes indicated that the optimal parameters for a dye concentration of 20 mg/L are an adsorbent dose of 0.15 g/mL, a pH of 10, and an adsorption time of 180 minutes. Furthermore, kinetic, isotherm, and thermodynamic adsorption have been evaluated. The results highlighted that the pseudo second-order and Langmuir model described accurately the adsorption process with an adsorption capacity of about 2.66 mg/g and 23.48 mg/g respectively. While the thermodynamic study conducted at four temperatures (298 K, 308 K, 318 K, 328 K) revealed that the adsorption process is spontaneous and endothermic in nature. Finally, a phytotoxicity test of malachite green dye solutions was carried out using wheat and lentil seeds confirming the treatment effectiveness of the adsorbent.

Clay influence on lightweight brick’s properties: Investigating the impact of waste’s nature and amount as secondary variables

The present study aims to examine whether incorporating a specific proportion of a particular waste material consistently yields bricks with favorable properties, regardless of the raw clay type utilized. In this context, different mixtures were produced with a clay named AMD2 and 0 wt%, 5 wt% and 10 wt% addition of two wastes named argan nut shell and wheat straw. A first investigation of the used raw clay material revealed the presence of Quartz as a dominant mineral, along with Orthoclase, Illite, and Hematite. Furthermore, the elaborated bricks have been subjected to a physical, mechanical, and structural characterization including loss on ignition (LOI), linear shrinkage (LS), water absorption (WA), apparent porosity (AP), bulk density (BD), and compressive strength (CS). A comparison between the current study and a previous one using the same waste materials and identical proportions of addition but employing a different clay type revealed notable differences in outcomes. In the previous study, bricks fabricated with AMD1 clay and 5 wt% of argan nut shell displayed excellent characteristics. However, in the current investigation using AMD2 clay, bricks with the same waste addition ratio exhibited less favorable properties. Specifically, bricks made with AMD2 clay and 5 wt% argan nut shell showed a loss on ignition of 7.30 %, a linear shrinkage of 3.7 %, a water absorption of 23.3 %, an apparent porosity of 38.20 %, a bulk density of 1.64 g/cm3, and a compressive strength of 9.90 MPa. These outcomes indicated a water absorption above the specified limit and significantly higher apparent porosity compared to bricks produced with AMD1 and 5 wt% argan nut shell, which met standard specifications. This variation highlights how the mineral composition of clay significantly impacts brick properties, even when using the same waste materials and proportions, confirming the importance of considering the raw clay material's nature in bricks’ production, and thus emphasizing the need for a preliminary study before combining clay and wastes in order to achieve excellent results.

Bio-Waste Argan Nut Shell-Derived Porous Activated Carbon for High Performance Supercapacitor Electrode Material

The supercapacitors (SCs) have become a great candidate for high power applications in energy storage units which bridge the gap between conventional capacitors and batteries fuels cells. This is because of their relatively higher specific energy compared to normal parallel plate capacitors, and higher power density and longer cycling stability, fast charge–discharge time, low level of heating, appropriate dimension/weight and low cost. The Carbon materials are considered as ideal electrode materials for supercapacitors, they play an important role in energy storage devices due to their large specific surface area, tunable pore size, high electrical conductivity and strong mechanical property, nevertheless most of the commercial activated carbons are produced from fossil fuel-based precursor (petroleum and coal) which made them to be expensive and environmentally non-friendly. hence the increasing focus on biomass precursors which are cheaper, readily available, renewable, structurally porous and environmentally friendly. Agriculture production and agro-industrial processes generate a large amount of waste. That can potentially be used to obtain important functional materials. Thus, it is possible to prepare activated carbon with high specific surface from various type of biomass. Taking all this into account, our work has focused on the use of Argan residues, very abundant in Morocco, for the production of activated carbons with developed porosity. The resulting material was evaluated as electrode material for the supercapacitor, Valuable strategies are the use of aqueous electrolytes and activated carbon that enable the valorization of wastes in a circular economy approach.The Argan residues (ANS, Argan Nut Shell) were ground to obtain a particle size of 1-3 mm The ACs were prepared by chemical activation with KOH in two steps: carbonization of the precursor followed by activation of the biochar. In the two-stage process, carbonization was carried out at 500 °C and in all cases, KOH is used in lentils. The following process variables were studied: activation temperature (700, 800 and 850 °C) and KOH/AS ratio (3/1 and 4/1). After the heat treatment, the samples were washed with 5 M HCl solution until neutral pH and dried (110 °C, 12 h). Activated carbons were characterized by N2 -196 °C and CO2 adsorption at 0 °C, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS).The symmetric SC was assembled with the two identical electrodes (positive/negative) by sandwiching a filter paper as a separator (Whatman). Then, few drops of aqueous 1M H2SO4 dropped in between the electrodes. The electrochemical techniques used were Cyclic voltammetry and galvanostatic charge/discharge cycling. Cyclic voltammetry (CV) was scanned from 5 to 80 mV/s. Galvanostatic charge−discharge experiment was performed with a specific current from 0.125 to 12A.g-1. The study showed that the new mechanism used to produce the activated carbon from Argan Nut shell lead to high surface area. The optimum activated carbon obtained by operating carbonization temperature as 500°C and activation temperature at 800°C with KOH activation, with these conditions the results were (SBET =3091 m2.g-1, VT=1.52 cm3.g-1), In contrast, the symmetric two electrode system exhibits outstanding charge storage capacity, reaching a high specific capacitance ranging between 512-320 F.g−1 at 0.125 A g−1. Remarkable electrochemical performance is further demonstrated using Argan Nut Shell, with an excellent rate performance after 2500 cycles, the capacitance still remained at 92 %, indicating great cycle stability.This study demonstrated the interesting nature of Argan Nut shell to develop cost effective electrode materials for supercapacitors with high performance. To conclude, high surface area and porosity of the prepared ACs can serve as a flexible backbone for constructing wearable energy storage devices. Clearly, using biomasses are definitely the right track towards making renewable carbon materials and energy storage. Figure 1

Effect of the particle size argan nut shell (ANS) biomass on combustion parameters in stirling engine in Morocco

Morocco is the only country in the world rich on argan tree and reject about 60.000 tons per year of Argan nut shell (agricultural waste of argan tree) which can lead to damage the environment especially water table. In order to resolve this problem, and because this agricultural waste has a significant value of high heat value, this project aims to valorize this natural resource by using it as combustible to produce heat and empower the heater of Stirling engine to generate electricity without impacting environment. A second objective of this project is to validate a numerical CFD models basing on previous experience. For this end, this project Investigate the size effect of argan nut shell on the combustion parameters in a 3 d furnace chamber. The ANS particle are injected through a hole perpendicularly to the air inlet. Two sizes of particles are selected in this study (S1, S2). The numerical approach is based on Reynold average Navier Stokes (RANS) method the Realizable k-ϵ to model the turbulence, a non-premixed model is used for gas phase, and Lagrangien approach to model the discrete second phase. For the two cases, the distribution of temperature, CO2, CO, NOx gas emissions are obtained and the results demonstrate that the small particle size (S2) is optimal and more suitable for combustion.

Recycling argan nut shell and wheat straw as a porous agent in the production of clay masonry units

The present work aims to study and compare the effect of incorporating argan nut shell (ANS) and wheat straw (WS) into clay mixtures as construction materials additives on physical, mechanical, structural, and thermal properties of fired clay bricks. Five clay mixtures were prepared, including a control sample free of waste, two clay samples containing 5 wt% and 10 w.t% of ANS (ANS5 and ANS10), two others containing 5 wt% and 10 wt% of WS (WS5 and WS10), all specimens were fired at 900 °C, and their technological properties in term of loss on ignition, firing shrinkage, water absorption, apparent porosity, bulk density, flexural strength, compressive strength, and thermal conductivity were evaluated. A reduction in bulk density and thermal conductivity has been observed with the incorporation of ANS and WS, leading to an increment in the apparent porosity and water absorption in their turn, which is typically due to the specimen’s porous structure. The thermal conductivity of clay brick samples containing 5–10 wt% of ANS or WS decreased by 5–17% and 27–46%, respectively. Thus, the thermal insulation property is improved while the mechanical properties (flexural and compressive strength) meet the requirements of the standards for clay masonry units, except for WS5 brick. Test results highlighted the potential of recycling ANS and WS in clay masonry units and thus, the production of lightweight material.

Synthesis, characterization, and DFT investigation of rhodamine B dye removal by activated carbon produced from argan nutshell

A significant environmental concern is posed by wastewater containing dyes. When dealing with a polluted medium, adsorption is a beneficial method for the removal of contaminants. This study used argan nutshell as a precursor to synthesize activated carbon via chemical activation with Na2CO3 at 600 °C. The prepared activated carbon (Na@Ac) was characterized using Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET), and zeta potential measurements. The results showed that the prepared activated carbon has a high surface area (1543 m2/g) and microporous structure. Furthermore, many parameters for Rhodamine B (RhB) dye removal efficiency, including pH, initial pollutant concentration, and temperature, were optimized by response surface methodology (RSM) with a central composite design. Based on the RSM, the best efficiency was 96.84% for the removal of RhB at pH 5, temperature 20 °C, and initial concentration 33.2 mg/L. The kinetic of RhB dye adsorption onto Na@Ac was effectively explained by a pseudo-second-order model, with a maximum uptake capacity of 35.9 mg/g. Moreover, Density functional theory (DFT) calculations were used to understand the adsorption mechanism of the RhB dye onto the Na@Ac. Based on the DFT calculations, hydrogen bonding and π-π interactions may be preferred mechanisms of RhB dye adsorption onto Na@Ac. The Na@Ac could be a promising adsorbent for the removal of Rhodamine B from polluted wastewater.

High-Pressure Water Jet System Treatment of Argan Nut Shell and Enzymatic Hydrolysis for Bioethanol Production

Argan nut shell represents the most generated by-product during the process of the extraction of argan oil. For the first time, argan nut shell was characterized and assessed as a new potential feedstock for bioethanol production using a combination of mechanical and enzymatic pretreatment. Argan shell samples were first disintegrated using the Star Burst system, which involves a high-pressure water jet system. Then, the pretreated argan nut shell was subjected to enzymatic hydrolysis using Viscozyme L (30 FBGU/g). Afterwards, the fermentation of the hydrolysate by Saccharomyces cerevisiae was investigated. Argan nut shell, as a feedstock plentiful in carbohydrates, conferred a high yield of saccharification (90%) and an optimal ethanol bioconversion (45.25%) using Viscozyme L (30 FBGU/g) at 2%w/v of argan feedstock.

Comparison of Moroccan Argan Nut Shell and Olive Cake Combustion to Determine the Best Combustible for CHP System and for the Thermodynamic Cycle

Comparison of Moroccan Argan Nut Shell and Olive Cake Combustion to Determine the Best Combustible for CHP System and for the Thermodynamic Cycle

Regeneration of argan nutshell and almond shell using HNO3 for their reusability to remove cationic dye from aqueous solution

This study reported the desorption of adsorbed crystal violet (CV) dye on the argan nutshell (ANS) and almond shell (AS) using nitric acid (HNO3) as a desorbing agent and their reusability to remove the CV in multiple consecutive adsorption-desorption cycles. The prepared adsorbents were characterized using FTIR and SEM analysis. Different desorbing agents (HCl, HNO3, H3PO4, CH3COOH, NaOH, H2O, H2O (pH = 2), and H2O (pH = 11)) were tested to determine the best eluent. The effect of experimental parameters, such as CV-adsorbent dose (4–40 g L−1), contact time (0–180 min), and HNO3 concentration (0.01–2 M) on the desorption of the CV from CV-ANS and CV-AS was studied. The HNO3 (0.1 M) solution was an excellent eluent for the CV desorption from CV-ANS (98.21%) and CV-AS (98.60%) using 16 g L−1 of CV-adsorbent dose at 23 ± 1 °C for 60 min. The pseudo-second-order kinetic model well-exemplified experimental data. Excellent regeneration reusability of ANS and AS for the CV removal for six consecutive adsorption–desorption cycles. This study showed that argan nutshell and almond shell as low-cost adsorbents have tremendous potential for removing the CV in multiple consecutive adsorption-desorption cycles as an alternative eco-friendly process.

Adsorption performance of modified agricultural waste materials for removal of emerging micro-contaminant bisphenol A: A comprehensive review.

This review is an attempt to assess the adsorption performance of different green adsorbents derived from agricultural waste materials (AWMs) that were used for the elimination of bisphenol A (BPA) from aqueous matrices. Different processes including grafting, polymerization, activation and chemical treatment have been applied to functionalize and modify agricultural waste materials for the purposes of increasing their adsorptive performances toward BPA. The highest reported adsorption capacity of adsorbent from agricultural waste for the uptake of BPA is the highly microporous carbon adsorbent derived from Argan nut shell (1408 mg g-1). Hydrogen bonding, hydrophobic and π-π interactions were reported in most studies as the main mechanisms governing the adsorption of BPA onto agricultural waste adsorbents. Equilibrium isotherm and kinetic studies for the uptake of BPA onto agricultural waste adsorbents were best described by Langmuir/Freundlich model and pseudo-second order model, respectively. Despite the effective elimination of BPA by various agricultural waste adsorbents, an appropriate selection of elution solvent is important for effective desorption of BPA from spent adsorbent. To date, ethanol, diethyl ether-methanol, methanol-acetic acid, mineral acids and sodium hydroxide are the most eluents applied for desorption of BPA molecules loaded onto AW-adsorbents. Looking toward the future, studies on the agricultural waste adsorbents based on polymers, activated carbons, nanoparticles and highly microporous carbons should be mostly considered by the researchers toward removing BPA. These future studies should be performed both in laboratory, pilot and industrial scales, and also should report the sustainable techniques for disposal of the spent AW-adsorbents after lose their adsorption performance on BPA.

Combustion and pollutant emission characteristics of argan nut shell (ANS) biomass

This paper presents an experimental study of argan nut shell (ANS) combustion in a lab-scale furnace. Biomass composition, properties and microstructures were determined. Combustion behaviour, fuel burn rate (FBR), pollutants (CO and NOx), modified combustion efficiency (MCE) and ash analysis were investigated. A comparison with wood pellets (WP) complying with the ENplus Standard was performed. The impacts of air flow rate and particle sizes on the combustion characteristics were analysed and discussed using three average ANS particle lengths: 5–8 mm, 10–18 mm and 25–30 mm. The results show that the smallest length of ANS particles induced a higher FBR and a regular distribution of the flame shapes compared to the other sizes and to wood pellets. Furthermore, the combustion temperatures, CO emission and MCE values were improved with the highest air flow rate used. CO emission was strongly affected by the operating conditions while NOx was very low for all selected cases. Elemental ash composition reveals that no ash agglomeration was observed during experiments in terms of alkali index. Moreover, the obtained ash was in the form of powder instead of agglomerated particles. This experimental investigation improves the understanding of the operational characteristics and the combustion effect of ANS biomass.

Numerical Study of the Mechanical Behavior of Polyamide 66 Reinforced by Argan Nut Shell Particles with the Finite Element Method and the Mori-Tanaka Model

Numerical Study of the Mechanical Behavior of Polyamide 66 Reinforced by Argan Nut Shell Particles with the Finite Element Method and the Mori-Tanaka Model

Physical characterization of bio-composite CEB stabilized with Argan nut shell and cement

Compressed earth blocks (CEB) are a well-established constructional material in the world’s less developed countries. The most common weakness of earthen construction is their high rate of deterioration under water.The aim purpose of this work is to upgrade the behavior of stabilized blocks of earth blocks against water attacks by studying experimentally the properties of the composite that is made from CEB and vegetable wastes in Morocco: Argan nut shell powder (ANS). The water absorption behavior has been estimated for the new bio-composite. The tested natural load contents are: 0%, 2%, 4% and 6%. To examine the effect of chemical stabilization on the new material, dosages of 0%, 5% and 6% of cement was also tested.This work highlights the procedure of soil-stabilization and the contributions of soil’s structure during stabilization. It investigated the quasi-static process of conventional block compaction (slow-applied pressure) and established the effects obtained from the alteration of the components (ANS and cement) and the compaction energy (2 MPa and 4 MPa) on the dry density of CEBs.

Physicochemical and thermal analysis of argan fruit residues (AFRs) as a new local biomass for bioenergy production

A detailed investigation of the physicochemical properties and thermal characteristics of argan fruit residues (AFRs) was carried out to identify their potential application as biofuels. This experimental study covered the four main by-products of argan fruit: argan pulp (AP), argan nut shell (ANS), argan oilcake (AOC) and argan deoiled cake (ADC). Physicochemical analysis was performed to characterize biomass-based materials. Thermogravimetric techniques (TG, DTG and DTA) were applied to assess structural decomposition, biomass reactivity and combustion parameters. Lastly, thermal conductivity and diffusivity between 25 and 100 °C were measured using the transient plane source technique (TPS). The study shows that heating values were in the range of 17–22.5 MJ kg−1, which is comparable to those of wood pellets and lignite coal. The maximum ash content was found in AP and the minimum in ANS. The residual oil of AOC was found to affect the drying process and calorific value. Thermal analysis showed that ANS has the highest ignition temperature and thermal conductivity values and therefore appears to be the most reactive material. Our data show that ANS has a good potential to produce heat through direct combustion. A pretreatment appears to be necessary to improve the characteristics of AP and AOC in order to make them suitable biofuels in the near future.

Mechanical properties of poly–propylene reinforced with Argan nut shell aggregates: Computational strategy based microstructures

This paper aims at developing 3D numerical simulations of the mechanical properties of polymer composites based on the aggregates of argan shell. The microstructure is made up of two phases, corresponding to the Poly–Propylene PP matrix and the natural aggregates. Due to the grinding operation of agran shell during the manufacturing process, the aggregates shapes, crushed aggregates, greatly vary with their surfaces. The majority of published works used the spherical or ellipsoidal forms in order to study numerically the mechanical behavior of such composites, because of the inherent simplification in algorithm formulations. However, real microstructures of these composites based simple microscopic, show that the shape of aggregates does not takes a spherical form, but a polyhedral form. In this study, the microstructure is described and modeled as a combination of Poisson polyhedral and PP matrix. In the numerical model, the obtained aggregate morphology is similar to that of many argan shell powders often used as reinforcement of the PP matrix. This technique allows generating models with different reinforcement volume fractions up to 28%. The numerical homogenization technique is used to estimate the mechanical properties of these composites. The set obtained numerical results with 3D polyhedral model are compared with the pertinent experimental data and analytical models reported in the literature. The performance of the most used micromechanical schemes used in predicting the effective elastic properties of biocomposites was discussed.

Adhesion and Young’s Modulus Estimation for Chemically Treated Argan Nut Shell Particles Reinforced Poly-Lactic Acid Polymer

The use of natural fillers as reinforcements for polymer plastics takes place in a variety of industrial applications. Henceforth, the use of theoretical models to predict the properties of such bio-composites is essential. In this work, we estimated the Young’s modulus of poly-lactic acid (PLA) bio-composites reinforced with argan nut shell (ANS) chemically treated particles (successive alkali treatment, bleaching and silane treatments) using five theoretical models and compared the predicted results with our prior experimental results. These models allowed us to study the assumed spherical form of the ANS particles and the adhesion/distribution of these particles in a PLA matrix. The results indicated that the ANS chemically treated particles could be considered as spherical particles having good adhesion with the PLA matrix. In addition, three other mathematical models were used to predict Young’s modulus of the ANS chemically treated particles. The results showed that the highest value of Young modulus among the three treatments was obtained for the ANS alkali-bleached particles. In addition, the silane treatment enhanced the adhesion between the ANS particles and the PLA matrix, but decreased the Young’s modulus value compared to the other two treatments.

Structured carbon foam derived from waste biomass: application to endocrine disruptor adsorption

In this paper, a novel structured carbon foam has been prepared from argan nut shell (ANS) was developed and applied in bisphenol A (BPA) removal from water. The results showed that the prepared carbon foam remove 93% of BPA (60 mg/L). The BPA equilibrium data obeyed the Liu isotherm, displaying a maximum uptake capacity of 323.0 mg/g at 20 °C. The calculated free enthalpy change (∆H° = − 4.8 kJ/mol) indicated the existence of physical adsorption between BPA and carbon foam. Avrami kinetic model was able to explain the experimental results. From the regeneration tests, we conclude that the prepared carbon foam has a good potential to be used as an economic and efficient adsorbent for BPA removal from contaminated water. Based on these results and the fact that the developed structured carbon foam is very easy to separate from treated water, it can serve as an interesting material for real water treatment applications.

Experimental Analysis on Thermal Characteristics of Argan Nut Shell (ANS) Biomass as a Green Energy Resource

Argan nut shell (ANS) is one of the most abundant agricultural by-product in the southwestern of Morocco. This study aims to focus on thermal characteristics of ANS biomass for alternate energy production. Physicochemical studies were done to characterize biomass-based material. Moreover, thermal degradation characteristics and kinetic parameters were assessed under pyrolysis and oxidizing conditions by means of thermogravimetric methods. Fundamental tests involving particle combustion of ANS and coal were carried out, and a comparison was performed. The results exhibit a heating value of 20.63 MJ kg -1 and negligible amount of nitrogen and sulfur. Furthermore, ANS follows the usual structural decomposition of lignocellulosique biomass, while coal reveal a discrete devolatilization zone. In addition, combustion tests show a significant burning period and high particle temperature. This experimental research is intended to provide a reference data of ANS biomass in engineering applications.

Hydrothermal Carbonization of Argan Nut Shell: Functional Mesoporous Carbon with Excellent Performance in the Adsorption of Bisphenol A and Diuron

Hydrochar derived from Argan nut shell (ANS) was synthesized and applied to remove bisphenol A (BPA) and diuron. The results indicated that the hydrochar prepared at 200 °C (HTC@ANS-200) possessed a higher specific surface area (42 m2/g) than hydrochar (HTC@ANS-180) prepared at 180 °C (17 m2/g). The hydrochars exhibited spherical particles, which are rich in functional groups. The HTC@ANS-200 exhibited high adsorption efficiency, of about 92% of the BPA removal and 95% of diuron removal. The maximum Langmuir adsorption capacities of HTC@ANS-200 at room temperature were 1162.79 mg/for Bisphenol A and 833.33 mg/g for diuron (higher than most reported adsorbents). The adsorption process was spontaneous (− ΔG°) and exothermic (− ΔH°). Excellent reusability was reclaimed after five cycles, the removal efficiency showed a weak decrease of 4% for BPA and 1% for diuron. The analysis of Fourier transforms infrared spectrometry demonstrated that the aromatic C=C and OH played major roles in the adsorption mechanisms of BPA and diuron in this study. The high adsorption capacity was attributed to the beneficial porosity (The pore size of HTC@ANS-200 bigger than the size of BPA and diuron molecule) and surface functional groups. BPA and diuron adsorption occurred also via multiple adsorption mechanisms, including pore filling, π–π interactions, and hydrogen bonding interactions on HTC@ANS-200.

Generalized fractal-like adsorption kinetic models: Application to adsorption of copper on Argan nut shell

In this study three fractal-like adsorption kinetic equations were generalized, taking into consideration the changes of solute concentration in time. The equations are the pseudo-(n,α) (p-(n,α)), the fractal-like mixed-1,2 order (f-MO) and the fractal-like multi-exponential (f-mexp). The new equations were used for the analysis of kinetic adsorption of copper on Argan nut shell (ArNS). The modeling results show a better agreement between theoretical and experimental data in the whole time range for the three fractal-like equations. In addition, the variation of temperature, or initial concentration of adsorbate, affects the fractal exponent and the kinetic constants for the fractal-like models. Temperature dependence was analyzed using model-independent adsorption half-times. The proposed equations were applied to fit the experimental data from literature. The results indicate that the new equations can describe very well kinetic of adsorption, in both homogeneous and heterogeneous solid surfaces.