ADSORPTION CAPACITY, STRUCTURE AND SURFACE PROPERTIES OF ACTIVATED CARBONS PRODUCED FROM PISTACIA LENTISCUS BYPRODUCT

Abstract

There are two main sources of activated carbon production - coal and lignocelullosic materials. Recently, scientists have been focused on activated carbon preparation based on agricultural waste and lignocelluloses materials, which are effective and very inexpensive such as corncob, hazelnut shell, olive stone, Jojoba seed residue, etc. The cake remaining after the oil extraction from Pistacia fruits constitutes about 50% of the initial composition, so any commercial utilization of Pistacia oil should consider the handling of large amounts of these by-products and their potential application. The possibility for using this residue as source of activated carbon production with physical (water vapor) and chemical activation was studied in this work. Optimization of the conditions for activated carbon production from the selected precursor was performed. Obtained nanoporous carbon is studied by elemental analysis, Boehm method, nitrogen physisorption, etc. Activated carbon produced from Pistacia cake is distinguished by moderate surface area and micro-meso porous structure. The results confirm that the one step method of pyrolysis in the presence of water vapor seems to be the best solution to produce activated carbon from Pistacia cake with acceptable yields and surface area. This was because the one step method of pyrolysis in the presence of water vapor is the cheapest and effective process than both two steps method of pyrolysis and the chemical activation process. Activated carbons, produced from agricultural wastes (Pistacia cake) after steam pyrolysis, are suitable for treatment of naphthalene polluted water. The obtained activated carbon demonstrate moderate adsorption capacity (22 mg/g) towards naphthalene in water solution. 2021 International Multidisciplinary Scientific Geoconference. All rights reserved.