Preparation and characterization of active carbon from biowaste using acid

Abstract

The aim of this research is to convert biowaste into carbon material and later into active carbon material. With that, we got two things in one go. We have received new material that is ready for various applications in various spheres of life and on the other hand we have removed waste and thus we have prevented additional pollution and preserved the environment. In our work, we used hydrothermal carbonization to obtain active carbon material from biowaste, exactly plane tree fruit. Various acids in different ratios were used as activators. The effects of the chemical agent on the structure of the obtained material were investigated. It was noticed that the process parameter pH value of the initial solution affects the structure, morphology and properties of the obtained final product, active carbon material. The values of specific surfaces of the treated sample increase by lowering the pH value. Characterization of the obtained activated carbon material was performed by nitrogen adsorption-desorption isotherms, X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Functional surface groups were determined by Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR).