The present study was aimed to evaluate the adsorptive characteristics and microwave dielectric properties of activated carbons derived from oil palm empty fruit bunch (EFB) prepared by microwave-assisted potassium hydroxide activation at 300 W and 800 W for 5 min. The resultant products were characterized for dielectric properties, BET specific surface area, surface functional groups and methylene blue adsorption. Results show that the microwave-assisted activation yields activated carbons with surface area of 695 m2/g and 1339 m2/g for heating rates (microwave irradiation power) of 300 W and 800 W, respectively and both exhibit more than 95% removal of methylene blue at concentrations higher than 100 mg/L. The dielectric properties revealed a better propensity of activated carbons towards microwave heating especially at a higher heating rate due to high surface area, and possibly high moisture content and carbon content. A greater heating rate or microwave power could turn EFB into activated carbon with a higher surface area and excellent adsorptive properties for pollution abatement.
Microwave assisted aqueous ammonia pretreatment of oil palm empty fruit bunch: effect on lignin removal and morphological structure
