Production and Characterization of Activated Carbon from Baobab Fruit Shells by Chemical Activation Using ZnCl₂, H3PO4 and KOH

Abstract

Chemical agents have a good influence on the formation of activated carbons, surface characteristic, and its adsorption properties. In this study, the effect of activating agents (ZnCl2, KOH, and H3PO4) on baobab fruit shell (BFS) were evaluated. The characteristics of the baobab fruit shell based activated carbon (BF-ACs) were evaluated through the yield and iodine number. BF-ACs were also characterized by Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM), Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FT-IR), X-ray Diffraction (XRD), and nitrogen (N2) adsorption. SEM analysis illustrates those porous structures formed on the surface of BF-ACs were with different sizes. The XRD analysis show that the main structures of BF-ACs are amorphous. FT-IR data demonstrates the presence of different surface groups on the produced BF-ACs. Among activating agent, the KOH was observed to the most appropriate for the production of activated carbon with a large surface area (1029.44 m2/g) from baobab fruit shell.

Adsorption Performance of Fixed-Bed Columns for the Removal of Phenol Using Baobab Fruit Shell Based Activated Carbon

“…Higher porosity results in more surface area, which facilitates greater adsorbate removal from its aqueous solution [1]. The details are also described in our previous studies [3,25]. XRD analysis was performed in order to determine the crystalline composition of the prepared BF-AC.…”

“…The results demonstrated https://doi.org/10.31436/iiumej.v25i1.2932 that BF-AC has high efficiency in the removal of phenol from aqueous solutions with an adsorption capacity of 196.86 mg/g [3,23]. The earlier studies were confined to batch studies only [1,3,23,25]. However, understanding the column mode adsorption pattern is necessary to suggest potential applications in the field.…”

“…These biomasses offer an alternative to traditional sources, which may serve as potential precursors to produce AC. As a result, to find a new renewable alternative source for AC, efforts have been made to produce AC from baobab fruit shell (BFS) by chemical activation [1,[23][24][25].…”

“…Baobab fruit shell is a lignocellulosic residue of the baobab fruit, which is one of the most abundant agriculture wastes with an annual average amount of 30,285 tons [26]. BF-AC was utilized as an adsorbent for the removal of environmental pollutants, including heavy-metals [27,28], dyes [24,29], and phenolic compounds [1,23,25]. In order to remove the phenol from aqueous solutions, batch studies of the potential BF-AC have been conducted [1].…”

Process Optimization and Synthesis of Activatedcarbon From Coconut Shell Using Phosphoric Acid

“…In physical activation the precursor material will be initially carbonized and the obtained biochar undergoes partial oxidation using either steam or oxygen or carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) as an activating agent. Whereas in chemical activation, the precursor material will be impregnated with chemical dehydrating agents such as zinc chloride (ZnCl 2 ), potassium hydroxide (KOH), potassium carbonate (K 2 CO 3 ), phosphoric acid (H 3 PO 4 ), sodium hydroxide (NaOH) followed by activation at 400-900 °C based on the type of dehydrating agent used (Nedjai et al, 2021 andYagmur et al, 2018). These dehydrating agents facilitates dehydration and degradation reactions leading to the development of porosity.…”