Nut Waste Research Articles

Elementary, Chemical and Energy Characteristics of Brazil Nuts Waste (Bertholletia excelsa) in the State of Pará

ABSTRACT This study aimed to determine the chemical and energetic composition of Brazil nut waste in the city of Castanhal-PA. Some of the material was crushed, sifted and stored for acclimatization and analysis. Molecular and immediate chemical analyses were performed on the raw material according to NBR standards. Another part was charred in Muffle furnace, with heating rate of 1.67 °C.min-1 and temperature of 450 °C for 60 minutes. For biomass, 55.76% of lignin and 2.61% of minerals were found. Means of 65.67% for volatiles were also found; 2.08% of ashes and 21.64% of fixed carbon. In the elementary, means of 53.54% of carbon and 0.11% of sulfur were found. For charcoal, 25.81% of volatiles were found; 1.76% of ashes and 67.50% of fixed carbon. Residues have high levels of lignin, fixed carbon and low ash contents, demonstrating potential for direct burning for energy, charcoal, activated carbon and biochar.

Conversion of Kola Nut Waste into Beneficial Products for Environmental Protection

Conversion of Kola Nut Waste into Beneficial Products for Environmental Protection

Characterization and methane production of different nut residue wastes in anaerobic digestion

Nut residues are common wastes which abandoned with more than 5 million tons in China annually. In this study, anaerobic digestion (AD) was firstly applied to treat 18 kinds of nut residues and their characterization, methane production, and kinetics were comprehensively investigated. Results implied that nut residues with low lignin content, high lipid and carbohydrate contents, such as lotus seed shells (expressed the highest biodegradability of 95.11% among others), showed good performance in AD. Kinetic analysis proved that modified Gompertz and Cone model were well fitted to describe the AD process of nut residues. Multiple linear regression equation was developed to determine the correlation between experimental methane yield and biochemical compositions of different nut residues, based on which, the highest cumulative methane yield could be predicted. The findings of this research provided useful knowledge for bioconversion of nut waste to renewable energy, and also showed a promising possibility for practical industrial application in future.

Simultaneous Removal of Hg(II) and Phenol Using Functionalized Activated Carbon Derived from Areca Nut Waste

Areca nut waste was utilized to obtain high surface area activated carbon (AC), and it was further functionalized with succinic anhydride under microwave irradiation. The surface morphology and surface functional groups of the materials were discussed with the help of scanning electron microscope(SEM) images and fourier transform infra-red (FT-IR) analysis. The specific surface area of the AC and functionalized-AC was obtained by the Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) method, and found to be 367.303 and 308.032 m2/g, respectively. Batch experiments showed that higher pH favoured the removal of Hg(II), whereas the phenol removal was slightly affected by the changes in the solution pH. The kinetic data followed pseudo-first order kinetic model, and intra-particle diffusion played a significant role in the removal of both pollutants. The maximum sorption capacity of Hg(II) and phenol were evaluated using Langmuir adsorption isotherms, and found to be 11.23 and 5.37 mg/g, respectively. The removal of Hg(II) was significantly suppressed in the presence of chloride ions due to the formation of a HgCl2 species. The phenol was specifically adsorbed, forming the donor–acceptor complexes or π–π electron interactions at the surface of the solid. Further, a fixed-bed column study was conducted for both Hg(II) and phenol. The loading capacity of the column was estimated using the nonlinear Thomas equation, and found to be 2.49 and 2.70 mg/g, respectively. Therefore, the study showed that functionalized AC obtained from areca nut waste could be employed as a sustainable adsorbent for the simultaneous removal of Hg(II) and phenol from polluted water.

Performance and Egg Quality of ISA Brown Layers Fed Toasted Bambaranut Waste Meal Based Diets

A feeding trial was conducted with ninety 90 point of lay (P.O.L) ISA brown birds, aged 20 weeks, to evaluate the effect of toasted bambara nut waste (BNW) meal based diets on performance and egg quality. The BNW was incorporated into five (5) layer diets at 0, 8, 16, 24 and 32%, 0% BNW was the control. The birds were randomly assigned to the 5 dietary treatments in a Completely Randomized Design (CRD) arrangement. Each treatment had 18 birds, with 6 birds/replicate. Performance indices were daily feed intake (DFI), weight change, feed conversion ratio (FCR), hen-day production (HDP) and hen-house production (HHP). Economic indices such as feed cost/bird, cost of producing dozen eggs and revenue from eggs were computed. Egg quality indices that were measured are egg weight (EW), shell weight (SW), shell thickness (ST), albumen height (AH), albumen weight (AW), yolk colour (YC), yolk height (YH), yolk diameter (YD), yolk weight (YW), yolk index (YI) and Haugh unit (HU). There were no significant (p>0.05) differences in HDP (41.60-48.80) and HHP (41.60-48.80) among the treatments. Final weight (1353.30-1520.00g), weight change (-96.67 to 146.67g), DFI (88.76-106.62g), dozen eggs (9.67-12.67), FCR (4.26-6.28) and egg number/bird were significantly (p 0.05) affected.

Production of a thermostable alkaline protease from alkalophilicKocuria variansgrown on various agricultural wastes

The ability of Kocuria varians to grow and produce protease when utilizing various local wastes was studied. Impact of cultivation pH on growth and enzyme production was also evaluated. Cassava waste combined with bambara nut waste (1:1) gave the best protease yield. Maximum enzyme production was attained when production medium was adjusted to pH 9. Highest protease concentration in the culture fluid was recorded at 20 h during the exponential phase of growth. The enzyme was optimally active and stable at 80 °C. Optimum pH for protease activity was at 11 with optimal stability at the alkaline range (pH 7–11) after incubation for 1 h. The enzyme was inhibited by EDTA, Hg2+, and Zn2+, but not by Pb2+, and was slightly stimulated by Cu2+. The properties of this protease make it a promising candidate for further studies and possible applications in processes involving extreme conditions of pH and temperature.

Immobilized nickel hexacyanoferrate on activated carbons for efficient attenuation of radio toxic Cs(I) from aqueous solutions

The aim of this study is to immobilize nickel hexacyanoferrate onto the large surface of activated carbons (ACs) precursor to rice hulls and areca nut waste materials. These nickel hexacyanoferrate immobilized materials are then assessed in the effective attenuation of radio logically important cesium ions from aqueous solutions. The solid samples are characterized by the XRD analytical method and surface morphology is obtained from the SEM images. The batch reactor experiments show that an increase in sorptive pH (2.0–10.0) apparently not affecting the high percent uptake of Cs(I). Equilibrium modeling studies suggest that the data are reasonably and relatively fitted well to the Langmuir adsorption isotherm. Kinetic studies show that sorption process is fairly rapid and the kinetic data are fitted well to the pseudo-second order rate model. Increasing the background electrolyte concentration from 0.001 to 0.1mol/L NaCl causes insignificant decrease in Cs(I) removal which infers the higher selectivity of these materials for Cs(I) from aqueous solutions. Further, the column reactor operations enable to obtain the breakthrough data which are then fitted to the Thomas non-linear equation as to obtain the loading capacity of column for Cs(I). The results show that the modified materials show potential applicability in the attenuation of radio toxic cesium from aqueous solution.

Effect of crystallization temperature on the in situ valorization of physic nut (Jatropha curcus L.) wastes using synthetic HZSM-5 catalyst

Physic nut waste is selected as the biomass feedstock for fast pyrolysis as it is available in large amounts from biodiesel production in Thailand. The volatile matter and fixed carbon contents are 73.8% and 13.6% while ash contents are 5.8%. Carbon is the main element with 49.03wt%. The oxygen content of 39.0wt% is considerably high which could directly convert to the oxygenated pyrolysis liquid products. To decrease oxygenated compounds, HZSM-5 was used as a catalyst to upgrade pyrolytic products from fast pyrolysis using analytical pyrolysis–GC/MS method. The HZSM-5 catalyst was successfully synthesized by hydrothermal method at 160–180°C for 24h. The particle size, surface area, and pore diameter were 11.25–15.52μm, 567–582m2/g, and 21.78–26.11Å, respectively. The pyrolysis was performed at 500°C with the Jatropha wastes to catalyst ratio of 1:1–1:10. The presence of HZSM-5 contributed to eliminate the undesirable oxygenated compounds such as acids and ketones which could alleviate problem regarding acidity and instability in bio-oil. In addition, it enhanced significantly the yields of desirable hydrocarbon compounds. The increase in catalyst contents had an effect on the enhancement of hydrocarbons yields, and tended to promote deoxygenation and denitrogenation. At moderate biomass to catalyst ratio (1:5), HZSM-5 synthesized at 170°C contributed to improve the hydrocarbon yields of 95%, including mainly toluene and xylene, which are valuable products because of their high heating value properties.

Iron-impregnated activated carbons precursor to rice hulls and areca nut waste in the remediation of Cu(II) and Pb(II) contaminated waters: a physico-chemical studies

The aim of this study is to exploit the abundantly available rice hulls and areca nut waste in obtaining the activated carbons which is further impregnated with a low dose of iron to obtain the iron-impregnated activated carbon (IIAC) samples. The solids are characterized by the IR and XRD analytical tools whereas the surface morphology is discussed with the SEM images of these solids. BET specific surface area which was obtained for these materials showed that the impregnation of iron did not significantly affect the specific surface area of these solids. Further, the materials were employed in the removal of two different heavy metal toxic ions viz. Cu(II) and Pb(II) under the batch and column reactor operations. The batch data were collected for various physico-chemical parametric studies, viz. effect of solution pH, sorptive concentration, contact time, electrolyte concentrations, etc. The mechanism involved at solid/solution interface was discussed with the help of these studies. Moreover, the equilibrium state sorption data and the time dependence data were utilized to conduct the adsorption isotherm and kinetic modeling studies, respectively. The pseudo-second-rate equation was fitted well to the sorption of these two cations; hence, the sorption capacity was estimated to be 1.770 and 1.926 mg/g (for Cu(II)) and 3.507 and 3.439 mg/g (for Pb(II)), respectively for IIAC-R and IIAC-N. The removal of these two cations was also performed under the dynamic experimentations under column studies. The column data were utilized obtaining the breakthrough curves and hence the breakthrough volumes were obtained. Further, the breakthrough data were utilized to simulate it with Thomas equation and, hence, the loading capacity of the columns was estimated to be 2.746 and 3.057 mg/g (for Cu(II)) and 6.957 and 6.505 mg/g (for Pb(II)), respectively for IIAC-R and IIAC-N samples.

Response of haco-cockerels fed graded levels of toasted bambara nut offal and supplementary enzyme

Eighty 4 weeks old spotted cockerels (Harco strain) were used to determine the effect of toasted bambara nut offal (TBNO) and supplementary enzyme on growth performance, haematology and organ weights of birds. The birds were randomly divided into 8 groups of 10 birds each. The groups were randomly assigned to 8 energetic (11.30 MJ/kg Me) and nitrogenous (20.02 to 20.06% crude protein) diets in a 4 × 2 factorial arrangement involving four levels (0, 10, 15 and 20%) of TBNO and 2 enzyme levels (0 and 0.02%). Each treatment was replicated 2 times with 5 birds per replicate. Average final body weight (AFBW), average daily weight gain (ADWG), feed conversion ratio (FCR) and feed cost per kg weight gain were similar, while average daily feed intake (ADFI) was different (P<0.05) among treatments. Inclusion TBNO and supplementary enzyme in the diets of cockerels had significant (P < 0.05) effect on the apparent retentions of dry matter (DM), nitrogen, crude fibre (CF), ether extract (EE) and nitrogen-free extract (NFE). While there were significant interactions (P< 0.05) between TBNO and enzyme levels on DM, nitrogen, CF, EE and NFE retentions. Enzyme supplementation significantly (P < 0.05) increased DM, nitrogen, EE and NFE retentions at all the TBNO inclusion levels. Enzyme supplementation also increased (P < 0.05) CF retention at the 10, 15 and 20% TBNO inclusion levels. It is concluded that 20% TBNO can be included in the diet of growing cockerels without any deleterious effect on their growth performance. Key words: Toasted bambara nut waste, enzyme, effect, cockerels, growth performance.

Evaluation of a classification method for biodegradable solid wastes using anaerobic degradation parameters

We studied the biochemical and anaerobic degradation characteristics of 29 types of materials to evaluate the effects of a physical composition classification method for degradable solid waste on the computation of anaerobic degradation parameters, including the methane yield potential (L0), anaerobic decay rate (k), and carbon sequestration factor (CSF). Biochemical methane potential tests were conducted to determine the anaerobic degradation parameters of each material. The results indicated that the anaerobic degradation parameters of nut waste were quite different from those of other food waste and nut waste was classified separately. Paper was subdivided into two categories according to its lignin content: degradable paper with lignin content of <0.05ggVS−1, and refractory paper with lignin content >0.15ggVS−1. The L0, k, and CSF parameters of leaves, a type of garden waste, were similar to those of grass. This classification method for degradable solid waste may provide a theoretical basis that facilitates the more accurate calculation of anaerobic degradation parameters.

Manganese oxide immobilized activated carbons in the remediation of aqueous wastes contaminated with copper(II) and lead(II)

The aim of the present investigation was to utilize the large specific surface area of activated carbons in the impregnation of the manganese oxide as further to enhance the suitability of materials in the remediation of aquatic environment contaminated with two important heavy metal toxic ions viz., Cu(II) and Pb(II). The activated carbons were obtained by exploiting two different agricultural by-product or waste materials viz., rice hulls (AC-R) or areca nut waste (AC-N) enabled, perhaps, a cost effective treatment. The in situ impregnation of manganese oxide within the pores and surfaces of ACs, therefore, was resulted to obtain the manganese immobilized ACs viz., MIAC-R and MIAC-N. These solid samples were characterized by the SEM/EDX analytical methods. Further, these materials were assessed for the removal of Cu(II) and Pb(II) from aqueous solutions under the batch and column reactor operations. The results obtained from batch experiment showed that an increase in sorptive pH was caused apparently to enhance the percent uptake of Cu(II) and Pb(II). The kinetic data were followed with the pseudo-second order kinetic models. Equilibrium modelling studies suggested that the data was fitted well to the Freundlich and Langmuir adsorption isotherms and the 1000times increase in background electrolyte concentrations could not affect significantly the uptake of these two ions. Further, the breakthrough data was obtained by column experiment which was utilized to fit into non-linear Thomas equation. The results showed that ACs and MIACs obtained from these agriculture by-product/wastes were found to be potential solid materials for the removal of Cu(II) and Pb(II) from aquatic environment.

Activated Carbon and Manganese Coated Activated Carbon Precursor to Dead Biomass in the Remediation of Arsenic Contaminated Water

The two different dead biomasses were employed to obtain the activated carbon samples viz., rice hulls (AC-R) or areca nut waste (AC-N). Further, the surfaces of these activated carbons were modified with manganese to obtain the manganese coated activated car bons (MCAC-R and MCAC-N).These solids were assessed for their possible implication in the remediation of the aquatic environment contaminated with arsenic. The surface morphology of these solids was discussed with the scanning electron microscope/energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (SEM/EDX) analysis. Various parametric studies viz., the effect of sorptive pH, concentration, background electrolyte concentration and contact time were studied under the batch reactor operations. The increase in sorptive pH (i.e., 2.0 to 10.0) and concentration (i.e., 1.0 to 10.0 mg/L) caused a great decrease in the percent removal of As(III) and As(V). Equilibrium modelling studies suggested that the data is fitted well to the Freundlich and Langmuir adsorption isotherms. The simultaneous presence of background electrolytes concentration (i.e., maximum 1,000 times NaNO3) could not significantly affect the uptake of these two ions which inferred that the sorption of As(III) and As(V) by these solids predominantly occurred through strong chemical forces and may ultimately form ‘inner-sphere’ complexes. The kinetic data was best fitted to the pseudo-first order kinetic model. Studies conferred that AC obtained from these agricultural by-products/wastes modified with manganese were found to be potential and promising solid materials in the attenuation of As(III) and As(V) from the aquatic environment.

Effects of raw bambara nut (Voandzeia subterranea l) waste and enzyme complex on growth performance and apparent nutrient retention in broiler chickens

The effects of graded levels of raw bambara nut ( Voandzeia subterranea L) waste and supplementary enzyme (Roxayzme G) on performance of broiler chicks were investigated. One hundred and twenty 14-day old unsexed commercial broiler chicks (Anak strain) were randomly divided into eight groups of 15 birds each. The groups were randomly assigned to eight energetic (9.24 to 11.68 MJ of ME/kg) and nitrogenous (21.12 to 22.12% crude protein) diets in a 4 × 2 factorial arrangement involving four levels (0, 10, 15 and 20%) of raw bambara nut waste and 2 enzyme levels (0 and 0.02%). Each treatment was replicated three times with five birds per replicate. Results show that increasing levels of raw bambara nut waste in the diets increased (P < 0.05) average daily feed intake and feed cost per kg weight gain, but decreased (P < 0.05) final body weight, average daily weight gain, feed conversion efficiency and protein efficiency ratio. Increasing raw bambara nut waste levels also depressed (P < 0.05) nutrient absorption as evidenced by significant reduction in the retention of dry matter, nitrogen, crude fibre, ether extract, nitrogen-free extract and gross energy. However, supplementation with enzyme improved (P < 0.05) final body weight and average daily weight gain at 0% raw bambara nut waste level, feed conversion ratio at the 10, 15 and 20% raw bambara nut waste levels, and reduced average daily feed intake and feed cost per kg weight gain at all the raw bambara nut waste (RBW) inclusion levels. Enzyme supplementation also improved (P < 0.05) the retention of dry matter at the 0, 15 and 20% raw bambara nut waste levels, nitrogen at 0% raw bambara nut waste level, ether extract and nitrogen-free extract at 0 and 20% raw bambara nut waste levels, and gross energy at 10 and 20% raw bambara nut waste levels. There was no incidence of chicks’ mortality in all the treatments. The results of the study indicate that 10% raw bambara nut waste can be included in enzyme supplemented broiler starter diet without adverse effects on broiler chicks and also to reduce cost of production. Keywords: Raw bambara nut waste, enzyme, diets, broiler chicks, growth performance

Fuel Gas Generation from Thermochemical Conversion of Crude Glycerol Mixed with Biomass Wastes

Greater usage of biodiesel worldwide results in significant generation of glycerol waste from transesterification process of plant oil. In the work reported here, thermal conversion of biodiesel manufacturing wastes including extracted physic nut and palm shell mixed with glycerol waste was carried out using a tubular reactor at 700-900°C. Studied parameters were reaction temperature, ratio of each wastes, air factor and residence time. Mixed wastes were first pelletized to cylindrical shape of 2mm diameter and 3mm height before feeding into the reaction vessel at the feeding rate of 5g/min. Air and nitrogen were used as reacting and carrier gases, respectively. Product gases contained mainly of CO, CO2, H2, CH4 were continuously measured by dedicated online TCD/NDIR analyzer.Results indicated that as reaction temperature increased, CO2 decreased while yields of CO, CH4 and H2 increased. Greater conversion to CO2, CO, H2 occurred with air factor increased from 0.0 to 0.3. Further increase in air factor resulted in lesser CO and H2 from greater competing combustion reactions. CH4 decreased when air factor changed from 0.0 to 0.6. The maximum gas LHV's are 3.48MJ/m3 and 2.27MJ/m3 for glycerol waste mixed with physic nut waste and palm shell waste, respectively. The maximum of mole ratio of H2 to CO obtained is 0.59 for physic nut and 0.37 for palm shell mixed wastes. These findings showed that products from co-gasification of mixed wastes from biodiesel production may be used for power generation or further upgraded to produce value added fuel product which would significantly improve the economics of this waste-to-energy process.

Biomass Pyrolysis: Use of Some Agricultural Wastes for Alternative Fuel Production

The use of biomass for energy generation has aroused great attention and interest because of the global climate changes, environmental pollution and reduction of availability of fossil energy. This study deals with pyrolysis of four agricultural wastes (sawdust, sugarcane straw, chicken litter and cashew nut shell) in a fixed bed pyrolytic reactor. The yields of char, liquid and gas were quantified at 300, 400, 500, 600 and 700oC and the temperature and pressure effects were investigated. Pyrolytic liquids produced were separated into aqueous and oil phases. XRF spectroscopy was used for qualitative and quantitative elemental analysis of the liquids and solids produced at whole temperature range. Calorific value analysis of liquids and solids were also performed for energy content evaluation. Experimental results showed sawdust, sugarcane straw and cashew nut waste have very good potential for using in pyrolysis process for alternative fuel production.

Thermal decomposition study on Jatropha curcas L. waste using TGA and fixed bed reactor

Pyrolysis experiments on Jatropha curcas L. (physic nut) waste were carried out using thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and a fixed bed quartz reactor to determine suitable degradation model as well as investigate the effect of operating conditions on product distribution. It was found that the main thermal decomposition of physic nut waste generally occurred over the temperature range of 250–450 °C. The three-parallel reactions model was applied for simulating the degradation of this waste. The model agreed relatively well with the experimental data. From the model, the activation energy of hemicelluloses, cellulose and lignin was in the range of 41–68, 187–235, and 97–150 kJ/mol, respectively. Reaction orders of those fractions were in the range of 2.4–3.2. Results from pyrolysis process using fixed bed reactor indicated that increase in temperature and hold time lead to greater production of hydrogen, methane and light hydrocarbons with highest gas production detected at 900 °C. Tar decomposed at higher temperatures resulted in lower liquid yield while gas yield and total conversion increased. Liquid product consists of several fatty acids such as palmitic acid, stearic acid, and oleic acid in the range of 10–23%, 5–12%, and 35–42%, respectively. The amount of char residue decreased with increasing reactor temperature and hold time. Fixed carbon in char increased with temperature with the expense of volatile matter while there was little change on ash content. Generally, pyrolysis of this residue may be applied for the production of value-added products as well as fuels after some upgrading processes.

Characterization of Solid Synthetic Fuel Derived from Physic Nut and Glycerol Waste Using Single Particle Reactivity Analysis

Deteriorated environment resulting from fossil fuel usage as well as foreseeable conventional energy depletion lead to the exploration of alternative fuel materials especially the renewable ones. In this work, characterization of synthetic fuel material formed by pelletization of Jatropha (physic nut) waste using glycerol waste as a binder was carried out in order to investigate the feasibility of utilizing these waste materials as another renewable energy source. Synthetic fuel materials of Jatropha residue mixed with 0-40% glycerol waste were formed to length of about 13 mm and diameter of about 11 mm under pressure of 7 MPa in a hydraulic press. Their thermal conversion properties were studied by using single particle reactivity testing scheme at temperature of 500-900°C under partial oxidation atmosphere. The burning started with a relative short drying phase, followed with a longer pyrolysis time and thereafter the dominated char combustion time which took around 81-89% of total conversion time. The average total conversion time varied from 741 sec to 1873 sec depended mainly on reaction temperature. Higher glycerol content resulted in char with lower density and less shrinkage. Changes in diameter were not strongly depended on glycerol contents. The results suggested that Jatropha residue mixed with glycerol may be utilized as quality solid fuel.

Physicochemical Properties of Carbons Prepared from Physic Nut Waste by Phosphoric Acid and Potassium Hydroxide Activations

Char derived from pyrolysis of physic nut waste at 400-800°C was used for the preparation of activated carbon by chemical impregnation of phosphoric acid and potassium hydroxide. The original char exhibited the BET surface area in the range of 120-250 m2·g-1. The surface area increased to 480 and 532 m2·g-1 when activated with H3PO4 and KOH, respectively. Equilibrium adsorption data was found to be best represented by the Langmuir isotherm with maximum monolayer adsorption capacity of 560.13 mg·g-1 at 30°C. The adsorption capacity of the physic nut residue activated carbon was comparable to commercial activated carbon.

Preparation and Characterization of Activated Carbon from the Pyrolysis of Physic Nut (Jatropha curcas L.) Waste

Use of waste as raw material for producing porous carbon was investigated in this work. Physic nut (Jatropha curcas L.) residue from oil extraction for biodiesel production was pyrolyzed at 400–800 °C with hold times of 15, 120, and 240 min to obtain char precursors. Activated carbon, with favorable Brunauer–Emmett–Teller surface area in a narrow range, was prepared by soaking these chars in concentrated KOH, H3PO4, as well as a pure CO2 gas flash activator. The maximum specific surface area of 532.30 m2 g−1 was developed for the alkaline-treated sample. The carbon fraction of activated materials was as much as 90 wt %, significantly higher than the char precursor. Mesopore of 2–50 nm and total pore volumes of the materials were also significantly enhanced by these activations. Nitrogen adsorption isotherms of physic-nut-waste-activated carbons indicated that they were mainly mesopores. Pores of char activated by KOH and H3PO4 are irregular, of different shapes and sizes, and the macropores seemed to be connected to mesopores, especially for the KOH-activated case. Surface analysis of pyrolyzed and activated char using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy indicated main functional groups that are considerably different to those of activated materials, which may lead to greater adsorption potential of activated samples. However, functional groups on each activated carbon are quite similar even with different activation processes. According to the data obtained, physic nut residue pyrolyzed at 800 °C and followed by KOH activation could be used as a low-cost adsorbent with favorable surface properties.