The production and application of carbon nanomaterials from high alkali silicate herbaceous biomass

Abstract

Herein, value-added materials such as activated carbon and carbon nanotubes were synthesized from low-value Miscanthus × giganteus lignocellulosic biomass. A significant drawback of using Miscanthus in an energy application is the melting during the combustion due to its high alkali silicate content. An application of an alternative approach was proposed herein for synthesis of activated carbon from Miscanthus × giganteus, where the produced activated carbon possessed a high surface area and pore volume of 0.92 cm 3 .g −1 after two activation steps using phosphoric acid and potassium hydroxide. The S Bet of the raw biomass, after first activation and second activation methods showed 17, 1142 and 1368 m 2 .g −1 , respectively. Transforming this otherwise waste material into a useful product where its material properties can be utilized is an example of promoting the circular economy by valorising waste lignocellulosic biomass to widely sought-after high surface area activated carbon and subsequently, unconventional multi-walled carbon nanotubes. This was achieved when the activated carbon produced was mixed with nitrogen-based material and iron precursor, where it produced hydrophilic multiwall carbon nanotubes with a contact angle of θ = 9.88°, compared to the raw biomass. synthesised materials were tested in heavy metal removal tests using a lead solution, where the maximum lead absorption was observed for sample AC-K, with a 90% removal capacity after the first hour of testing. The synthesis of these up-cycled materials can have potential opportunities in the areas of wastewater treatment or other activated carbon/carbon nanotube end uses with a rapid cycle time.

Recent advances in carbon capture storage and utilisation technologies: a review

“…Activated carbons were prepared using two stages of activation steps from different types of waste and low-value lignocellulosic biomass such as potato peel waste, barley waste and miscanthus with surface areas ( m 2 ∕g ) of 833 (Osman et al 2019), 692 (Osman et al 2020c) and 1368 (Osman et al 2020b), respectively. Singh et al 2019have presented the manufacture of activated porous carbon spheres for D-glucose carbonisation with a unique potassium acetate for carbon dioxide uptake.…”

Bio-oil and biochar production from halophyte biomass: effects of pre-treatment and temperature on Salicornia bigelovii pyrolysis

“…This can be attributed to the formation of nanostructures in the biochar. Recently, Osman et al 58 used Miscanthus grass, lignocellulosic biomass rich in alkali silicates to produce carbon nanomaterials via pyrolysis. In another study by Bernd et al 59 , carbon nanostructures were produced by pyrolyzing wood saw dust at similar pyrolysis temperature (750°C) in a tubular reactor.…”

Co-blending modification of activated coke using pyrolusite and titanium ore for low-temperature NOx removal

“…3, both samples show almost similar FTIR spectra, differences showed in their intensities and slightly shift suggesting very limited changes of the surface chemistry 25 . For both the AC and (P/Ti-1/2)15@AC, their spectra assigned the absorption band to the O-H stretching vibration (approximately 3400 cm −1 ) 27 , CH 2 and CH 3 (1460 cm −1 ) 28 , COOH (approximately 1090 cm −1 ), and C-H (at 875 cm −1 ) 29 , respectively. Be differently, AC showed adsorption band at 1640-1630 cm −1 , which belongs to the moisture peaks overlapped with C=C and C=O stretching in phenylpropanoid side chains, and aromatic skeleton vibration 30 .…”