Fabrication, characterization and evaluation of mesoporous activated carbons from agricultural waste: Jerusalem artichoke stalk as an example

Abstract

This work explores the feasibility of Jerusalem artichoke stem (JAS), an agricultural waste, as an alternative precursor for fabrication of mesoporous activated carbon (MAC) via conventional ZnCl 2 activation. The as-prepared JAS-MACs were characterized by thermogravimetric, nitrogen gas adsorption isotherm and high resolution scanning electron microscopy analysis. The interacting effects of chemical dosage, activation temperature and time on the mesoporosity, mesopore volume and carbon yield were investigated, and further optimized by response surface methodology (RSM). The Brunauer-Emmett-Teller surface area, mesoporosity and mesopore volume of the JAS-MAC prepared under optimum condition were identified to be 1631 m 2 $g -1 , 90.16% and 1.11 cm 3 $g -1 , respectively. Compared with commercial activated carbons, this carbon exhibited a comparable monolayer adsorption capacity of 374.5 mg $g -1 for Methylene Blue dye. The findings suggest that RSM could be an effective approach for optimizing the pore structure of fabricated activated carbons.

A novel Fe(III) dependent bioflocculant from Klebsiella oxytoca GS-4-08: culture conditions optimization and flocculation mechanism

“…Response surface methodology (RSM) provides an effective tool for building a multivariable equation and evaluating the optimal values of dependent variable based on statistical principles 8 . Moreover, it is essential to know the most significant independent variables (influential parameter) effect on the yield and cost of bioflocculant production.…”