Two Unconventional Precursors to Produce ZnCl₂‐Based Activated Carbon for Water Treatment Applications

Abstract

Two unconventional raw materials, the seeds from Spondias purpurea L. (red mombin) and Inga edulis (ice cream bean), were characterized and used as precursors to produce good‐quality zinc chloride‐activated carbons for potential use in water treatment applications. The red mombin seed was significantly more porous than the ice cream bean seed, while the activated carbons prepared from red mombin seed and ice cream bean seeds showed both a very well‐established microporous‐mesoporous structure. Equilibrium as well as kinetic adsorption experiments were conducted with methylene blue, methyl orange, and As(V). It was revealed that both seeds are unconventional, renewable, cheap, and suitable agro‐precursors for production of activated carbons with potential application in wastewater treatment.

Residual peel of pitaya fruit (Hylocereus undatus) as a precursor to obtaining an efficient carbon-based adsorbent for the removal of metanil yellow dye from water

“…3b). Another point to be noted is the presence of a small amount of Zn, which is compatible with other studies using a similar carbonization methodology [58,59]. The pyrolysis step provides a large loss of volatile material due to the high temperatures the material is subjected to, causing the degradation of organic molecules and the release of gaseous and liquid tar, leaving a material with high carbon content.…”

“…3a) is composed of carbon and oxygen, followed by a small percentage of chlorine and potassium. These last two elements have already been observed in other works confirming the antioxidant activity of the species Hylocereus undatus [57,58]. After carbonization, the presence of oxygen, chlorine, and potassium was strongly reduced, causing the adsorbent to be mainly formed by carbon (86.44%) (Fig.…”

Agricultural residues-based activated carbons impregnated with chitosan nanoparticles by hydrothermal treatment

“…In that sense, it is still attracting the possibility to find new sources of raw materials for activated carbon production to replace the everyday use of coal. Agricultural residues have been used as raw materials for activated carbon production with adequate characteristics for the adsorption of pollutants from water [1][2][3], mainly based on their high specific surface area and their micro-mesoporous structure. Based on their properties, the use of agro-wastes as raw materials for this aim is an attractive alternative from the economic and environmental point of view.…”

KOH activation of coal-derived microporous carbons for oxygen reduction and supercapacitors

“…As we know, there are various activating agents (such as CO 2 , ZnCl 2 , KOH, H 3 PO 4 , NaOH, etc.) [25][26][27][28][29] and hard templates (SiO 2 , MgO, etc.) 30 applied in the preparation of porous carbons with high SSA and different pore structures.…”