Preparation and Characterization of Activated Carbon from Cocos nucifera L. (coconut) Shell and Sugarcane Bagasse

Surface area characterization of activated carbon from sugarcane baggase by chemical activationAdsorption is one the process with many applications in the industries such as in a separation or in gas storage. In this adsorption, adsorbent selection is the most important thing. One of the adsorbent most suitable for this process is activated carbon. Previous studies show that high surface area of activated carbon can be produced from sugarcane bagasse using activator ZnCl2. The research’s goal is to produce activated carbon from sugarcane bagasse and determine the effects of activator on the surface area of activated carbon produced. Activators used in this research are KOH and ZnCl2 with the mass ratio of activator/carbon are 1/1, 2/1 and 3/1. The results show that The highest surface area, 938,2 m2/g, is obtained by activation using KOH with mass ratio of activator/carbon 3/1, whereas the highest surface area by activation using ZnCl2 is 632 m2/g with mass ratio of activator/carbon 2/1. For comparison, preparation of activated carbon by physical activation is also done and the surface area is 293 m2/g.Keywords: Activated carbon, chemical activation, sugarcane bagasse, KOH, ZnCl2 Abstrak Adsorpsi merupakan salah satu proses yang banyak digunakan dalam industri baik dalam pemisahan maupun untuk penyimpanan gas. Pada proses adsorpsi ini, pemilihan adsorben merupakan hal yang sangat penting. Salah satu jenis adsorben yang sangat cocok untuk proses ini adalah karbon aktif. Penelusuran studi sebelumnya menunjukkan bahwa karbon aktif dengan luas permukaan yang cukup tinggi dapat dibuat dari ampas tebu dengan menggunakan aktivator ZnCl2. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk menghasilkan karbon aktif dari ampas tebu dengan aktivasi kimia serta mengetahui pengaruh aktivator terhadap luas permukaan karbon aktif yang dihasilkan. Aktivator yang digunakan dalam penelitian ini adalah KOH dan ZnCl2 dengan rasio massa aktivator/massa karbon 1/1, 2/1, dan 3/1. Aktivasi dilakukan pada temperatur 700 oC selama 1 jam. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa luas permukaan tertinggi sebesar 938,2 m2/g diperoleh dengan aktivasi menggunakan KOH dengan rasio massa aktivator/massa arang 3/1, sedangkan aktivasi dengan menggunakan ZnCl2 diperoleh luas permukaan tertinggi sebesar 632 m2/g dengan rasio massa aktivator/massa arang 2/1. Sebagai pembanding, pada penelitian ini juga dilakukan pembuatan karbon aktif dengan metode aktivasi fisika dan diperoleh luas permukaan karbon aktif sebesar 293 m2/g.Kata kunci: Aktivasi kimia, ampas tebu, karbon aktif, KOH, ZnCl2

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Processing and Characterization of Activated Carbon from Coconut Shell and Palm Kernel Shell Waste by H3PO4 Activation

Ghana Journal of Science ◽

10.4314/gjs.v61i2.9 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 61 (2) ◽

pp. 91-104

Author(s):

A. Nyamful ◽

E. K. Nyogbe ◽

L. Mohammed ◽

M. N. Zainudeen ◽

S. A. Darkwa ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Activated Carbon ◽

Scale Up ◽

Palm Kernel ◽

Coconut Shell ◽

Palm Kernel Shell ◽

Time Scanning ◽

Shell Waste ◽

H3po4 Activation ◽

Characterization Of Activated Carbon

Palm kernel shell and coconut shell are used as a precursor for the production of activated carbon, a way of mitigating the tons of waste produced in Ghana. The raw Palm kernel shell and coconut shell were activated chemically using H3PO4. A maximum activated carbon yield of 26.3 g was obtained for Palm kernel shell and 22.9 g for coconut shell at 400oC, an impregnation ratio of 1.2 and 1-hour carbonization time. Scanning electron microscopy reveals well-developed cavities of the H3PO4 activated coconut shell and Palm kernel shell compared to the non-activated carbon. Iodine number of 743.02 mg/g and 682.11 mg/g, a porosity of 0.31 and 0.49 and the electrical conductivity of 2010 μS/cm and 778 μS /cm were obtained for the AC prepared from the coconut shell and Palm kernel shell respectively. The results of this work show that high-quality activated carbon can be manufactured locally from coconut shell and Palm kernel shell waste, and a scale-up of this production will go a long way to reduce the tons of coconut shell and Palm kernel shell waste generated in the country.

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