Activated Carbon from Prickly Pear Seed Cake: Optimization of Preparation Conditions Using Experimental Design and Its Application in Dye Removal

Abstract

In the present study, the experimental design method was used to optimize the preparation conditions of an activated carbon from prickly pear seed cake by phosphoric acid activation. The parameters studied include impregnation ratio, carbonization temperature, and carbonization time. The optimal conditions for the preparation of the activated carbon with high adsorption capacity for methylene blue were identified to be an impregnation ratio of 2.9, carbonization temperature of 541°C, and carbonization time of 88 min. The obtained activated carbon was characterized by SEM/EDX, FTIR, pHpzc, and its capacity to adsorb methylene blue. FTIR analysis and pHPZC showed the acidic character of the activated carbon surface. The adsorption capacity of the optimal activated carbon was found to be 260 mg·g−1 for methylene blue. The adsorption equilibrium of methylene blue was well explained by the pseudo-second-order model and Freundlich isotherm. Furthermore, the performance of the produced activated carbon was examined by the methyl orange removal.

Activated Carbon for Dyes Removal: Modeling and Understanding the Adsorption Process

“…Activated carbon used in this study was prepared from prickly pear seed cake by phosphoric acid activation [33]. e authors reported that the obtained activated carbon is effective for removing cationic dyes such as methylene blue from aqueous solution.…”

“…Moreover, the adsorption process was well described by the pseudo-second-order model and Freundlich isotherm. e adsorption capacity of the prepared activated carbon for methylene blue at temperature 20°C and pH ∼ 7 was found to be 260 mg/g [33]. To test the performance of the prepared activated carbon in the removal of anionic dyes from aqueous solution, methyl orange was chosen as a model adsorbate.…”

“…Activated carbon prepared by El maguana et al [33] was sieved to obtain particles size less than 100 μm. Methyl orange used as adsorbate in the present study and without further purification was supplied by Merck.…”

Carbon Nanomaterials for the Treatment of Heavy Metal-Contaminated Water and Environmental Remediation

“…It is also applied as a low-cost material for the treatment and removal of water containing COD, BOD, and TSS and stabilizing and maintaining the optimum pH for biological uses [154–156]. Maguana et al prepared activated carbon from the pear seed cake and successfully applied it for the removal of methylene having an adsorption capacity of 260 mg/g [157]. Antonio et al prepared activated carbon from the kenaf plant and applied it successfully for the treatment of the wastewater of hospitals containing paracetamol as the main pollutant [158].…”

Characterization of Activated Carbon Prepared From the Nucleus of Ziziphus Lotus (NBEG): Isothermal Study and Kinetics of Adsorption of Methylene Blue

“…Today, much effort is devoted to the exploitation of industrial waste and agricultural residues as raw materials for coal production. Among its products are walnut shells (Yang and Qiu, 2010), argan shells (Elmouwahidi, et al, 2012), snail shell (Gumus and Okpeku, 2014), olive nibs (Moubarik and Grimi, 2015), potato peel (Guechi et al 2016), sugar cane bagasse (Azmi et al, 2016), date press cake (Heidarinejad et al, 2018), betel nuts (Cundari et al, 2018) and prickly pear seeds (El Maguana et al, 2019).…”