Preparation and characterization of activated carbon from cotton stalks in a two-stage process

Activated carbons are prepared from cotton stalks by chemical activation with ZnCl₂, H₂SO₄ and physical activation using CO₂ and steam-CO₂ mixture for temperatures of 750, 850 and 900 °C. The effects of activation temperature and duration time, impregnation concentration of agent, impregnation times, and physical activating agent are examined. These materials are characterized by adsorption/desorption of N₂ to determine the BET areas, thermogravimetric analysis (TG, DTA), FTIR and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). ZnCl₂ under CO₂ atmosphere was found more effective than H₂SO₄ as a chemical reagent under identical conditions in terms of porosity development. The maximum BET surface area is found to be 2053 m²/g for active carbons produced with ZnCl₂ activation under CO₂ atmosphere.     

Investigations of cement early hydration in the presence of chemically activated fly ash

The paper describes an attempt of chemical activation of fly ash and claims the usefulness of combination of such investigation methods as calorimetry and infrared absorption for investigations of early periods of cement hydration. The research samples were cement pastes made with an addition of fly ash and admixtures of chemical activators, CaCl₂, Na₂SO₄ and NaOH, whereas a cement paste without fly ash addition and a cement-fly ash paste (both without admixtures) were used as reference samples. In order to investigate early periods of cement pastes hydration, the amount and rate of heat release were registered, and IR spectrums were checked at appointed hydration moments. As a result, it was shown that the combination of calorimetric and IR absorption methods in the investigations of early periods of cement hydration was useful. It was confirmed that the use of chemical activators CaCl₂, Na₂SO₄ and NaOH accelerated the hydration of cement pastes containing fly ash additive in early hours after adding water. The action of activators on hydrating cement system is different for each of investigated compounds.     

Treatment of pulp and paper mill wastewaters with poly aluminium chloride and bagasse fly ash

The present study deals with the use of poly aluminium chloride (PAC) as a coagulant and bagasse fly ash (BFA), which is generated in sugar mills, as an adsorbent for the removal of chemical oxygen demand (COD) and colour of pulp and paper mill effluents. Under optimal conditions of pH 3 and initial PAC dosage of 3 g/l, about 80% COD removal and 90% colour removal were obtained. The optimal conditions for the adsorptive removal of COD and colour with BFA were pH 4 and BFA dosage of 2 g/l. Under these conditions, COD and colour removal were, respectively, 50 and 55%. Adsorptive removal of COD by BFA followed second-order kinetics. Intra-particle diffusion was found to be rate controlling. Freundlich and Langmuir adsorption isotherms were found to fit the equilibrium adsorption data with BFA. Two-stage treatment using PAC (3 g/l) as a coagulant in the first stage and BFA (2 g/l) as an adsorbent in the second stage gave the combined COD and colour removal of nearly 87 and 95%, respectively, for different effluents without any pH adjustment. Two-stage adsorptive treatment using BFA (2 g/l) in both the stages gave a combined COD and colour removal of about 70%. The sludge obtained can be dewatered by centri-clarifiers, dried, briquetted and incinerated to recover its energy content.     

燃烧福建无烟煤的循环流化床锅炉飞灰及其未燃炭分析

以三个燃烧福建无烟煤的商业CFB锅炉电厂飞灰为研究对象,分析飞灰的粒径和含碳量分布;观察并区分了飞灰中煤炭、烟怠、半焦和灰渣等颗粒的表面形貌;测定了飞灰炭的反应活性并与入炉煤作比较;并研究了飞灰炭的来源。结果表明,采用单级分离装置的CFB锅炉,粒径在0.0385mm～0.0500mm的飞灰质量最多,未燃炭份额也最高;而采用双级分离装置的CFB锅炉,飞灰质量分布和飞灰炭份额的峰值则出现在粒径为0.0500mm~0.0750mm处。飞灰主要由三种形貌的颗粒组成,颗粒状的未燃炭、絮团状的灰渣、和介于两者之间的半焦。与入炉煤相比,飞灰炭的反应活性较高,主要来源于入炉煤中的细粉和燃烧早期因破碎和磨蚀而产生的、来不及在炉膛中燃尽的细小含炭颗粒。入炉煤中易破碎、反应性较高的亮煤是构成电厂CFB锅炉飞灰炭的主要成分。     

Preparation and characterization of activated carbon from date stones by physical activation with steam

Activated carbons are produced from wastes of Algerian date stones by pyrolysis and physical activation in the presence of water vapor into a heated fixed-bed reactor. The effect of pyrolysis temperature and activation hold time on textural and chemical surface properties of raw date stones and carbon materials produced are studied. As expected, the percentage yield decreases with increase of activation temperature and hold time. The characterization of carbon materials is performed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and nitrogen adsorption (BET). Results show the presence of cellulose and hemicellulose in the raw material, and the predominance of carbon and graphite after pyrolysis. Different oxygen-containing functional groups are found in the raw material while aromatic structures are developed after pyrolysis and activation. The best specific surface area (635 m² g⁻¹) and microporous volume (0.716 cm³ g⁻¹) are obtained when the date stones are grinded, pyrolysed at 700 °C under a 100 cm³ min⁻¹ nitrogen flow and then activated under water vapor at 700 °C for 6 h.     

Fast physics-chemical characterization of fly ash

This paper analyzes the effect of fly ash chemical character on early Portland cement hydration and the possible adverse effects generated by the addition of gypsum. Behaviour was analyzed for pure Portland cements with varying mineralogical compositions and two types of fly ash, likewise differing in chemical composition, which were previously characterized under sulphate attack as: silicic-ferric-aluminic or aluminic-silicic ash in chemical character, irrespective if they are in nature, siliceous or siliceous and aluminous materials according to the ASTM C 618-94a. The experimental results showed that water demand for paste with a normal consistency increased with the replacement ratio in fly ash with a more aluminic than silicic chemical character, whereas it declined when silicic-ferric-aluminic ash was used. On the other hand, the differences between the total heat of hydration released at the first valley and the second peak also clearly differentiated the two types of ash. While the relative differences increased in the more aluminic than silicic ash, they declined in the more silicic than aluminic. In another vein, the findings indicate that within a comparable Blaine fineness range, the reactive alumina (Al₂O₃^r−) content in pozzolanic additions has a greater effect on mortar strength than the reactive silica (SiO₂^r−) content, at least in early ages up to 28 days. Finally, the adverse effect generated in the presence of excess gypsum is due primarily to the chemical interaction between the gypsum and the C₃A in the Portland cement and the reactive alumina (Al₂O₃^r−) in the fly ash.     

Phosphoric acid activated carbon as borderline and soft metal ions scavenger

Three activated carbons have been prepared, two from oil-palm shell and one from coconut shell, by the phosphoric acid activation process. Adsorption isotherms of copper(II) were determined to evaluate and compare the performance of experimental carbons. The obtained data are fitted very well to Langmuir and Freundlich adsorption models. All prepared activated carbons show 4–7-fold high adsorption capacity (q_max 19.5–23/18.6–21?mg?g^?1) than that of the commercial ones (q_max 5.6/2.9?mg?g^?1) under the conducted experimental conditions. The mechanism of adsorption was evaluated from the competitive adsorption of copper(II) and calcium(II) in a binary solution depending on their behaviour as Lewis acid and assessed as inner-sphere complexation. The competitive adsorption of copper(II) with other borderline and soft metal ions was evaluated by the best scavenger using a solution of ternary solute of copper(II), nickel(II) and lead(II). The adsorption selectivity order is determined as follows: Pb?>?Cu???Ni.     

Adsorption of cationic methylene blue dye using microwave-assisted activated carbon derived from acacia wood: Optimization and batch studies

This study assesses the performance of optimized acacia wood-based activated carbon (AWAC) as an adsorbent for methylene blue (MB) dye removal in aqueous solution. AWAC was prepared via a physicochemical activation process that consists of potassium hydroxide (KOH) treatment, followed by carbon dioxide (CO₂) gasification under microwave heating. By using response surface methodology (RSM), the optimum preparation conditions of radiation power, radiation time, and KOH-impregnation ratio (IR) were determined to be 360 W, 4.50 min, and 0.90 g/g respectively, which resulted in 81.20 mg/g of MB dye removal and 27.96% of AWAC’s yield. Radiation power and IR had a major effect on MB dye removal while radiation power and radiation time caused the greatest impact on AWAC’s yield. BET surface area, mesopore surface area, and pore volume of optimized AWAC were found to be 1045.56 m²/g, 689.77 m²/g, and 0.54 cm³/g, respectively. Adsorption of MB onto AWAC followed Langmuir and pseudo-second order for isotherm and kinetic studies respectively, with a Langmuir monolayer adsorption capacity of 338.29 mg/g. Mechanism studies revealed that the adsorption process was controlled by film diffusion mechanism and indicated to be thermodynamically exothermic in nature.     

Electrochemically assisted adsorption/desorption of bentazone on activated carbon cloth

This paper investigates the use of electrochemical techniques for the removal of a common herbicide, bentazone, from water streams using a carbon-based electrode. Activated carbon cloth with high surface area and narrow micropores was used as electrode. For a better understanding of the process, adsorption was investigated under both open circuit and controlled polarization conditions, the latter in anodic and cathodic directions. It was found that anodic polarization enhances the kinetics of adsorption of the herbicide on the carbon cloth, the extent of which is strongly related to the applied current value. At converse, cathodic polarization induces the reversible desorption of the compound. Moreover, in-situ UV spectra recording on the solution did not show any structural change of the herbicide upon polarization, demonstrating the reversibility of the process for the regeneration of the adsorbent and the recovery of the compound. Based on these experiments, a mechanism is proposed to interpret the reversible sorption of bentazone under polarization.     

油页岩飞灰对重金属离子的吸附动力学及热力学

采用批式振荡吸附法研究了燃油页岩电厂循环流化床锅炉飞灰对重金属离子Pb²+、Cu²+、Zn²+、Cd²+的吸附动力学及吸附热力学特性,并提出了吸附机理。结果表明,油页岩飞灰对Pb²+、Cu²+、Zn²+、Cd²+的吸附平衡数据符合Langmuir和Freundlich吸附等温方程,但Freundlich方程能够更好地描述吸附等温线。在油页岩飞灰对重金属离子吸附的初始阶段,拉格朗日准一级动力学方程、准二级动力学方程、Elovich方程、粒子内扩散模型均能很好地反映吸附模式,而整个吸附过程则遵循二级反应动力学方程,其吸附过程是液膜扩散和粒子内扩散共同作用的结果。油页岩飞灰对Pb²+、Cu²+、Zn²+、Cd²+的吸附是吸热反应。     

Atenolol sequestration using activated carbon derived from gasified Glyricidia sepium

Activated carbon (AC) derived from gasified Glyricidia sepium woodchip (GGSWAC) was prepared using KOH and CO₂ activation via microwave radiation technique to remove atenolol (ATN) from aqueous solution. The surface area (S_BET) and total pore volume (TPV) of GGSWAC were 483.07 m²/g and 0.255 cm³, respectively. The n-BET model fits well with the isothermal data indicating a multilayer adsorption with the saturation capacity of 121, 143 and 163 mg/g at 30, 45 and 60 °C, respectively. The kinetic study showed that ATN adsorption followed Avrami model equation (R² ≅ 0.99). Based on the thermodynamic parameters, the adsorption of ATN onto GGSWAC was endothermic (ΔH_S = 234.17 kJ/mol) in the first layer of adsorption and exothermic in the subsequent layer (ΔH_L = −165.62 kJ/mol). The ATN adsorption was controlled by both diffusion and chemisorption. In continuous operation, the Thomas (R² = 0.9822) and Yoon–Nelson (R² = 0.9817) models successfully predicted the ATN adsorption.     

Specific features of adsorption of azo dyes on fly ash

A possibility to utilize fly ash (FA) formed at coal-fired power plants as a cheap adsorbent for the purification of wastewater containing azo dyes methylene blue (MB) and methyl red (MR) was considered. The effect of an FA additive on the adsorption capacity of active carbon was studied. The efficiency of FA as an adsorbent for the purification of aqueous solutions from MB and MR was shown. The adsorption is also fairly efficient when active carbon is partially replaced by FA. Published in Russian in Izvestiya Akademii Nauk. Seriya Khimicheskaya, No. 3, pp. 545–548, March, 2007.     

Chemical characterization of density separated submicrometer coal fly ash

A new geometrical particle size separation method in the range of submicrometer has been developed for coal fly ash. Coal fly ash particles prefractionated less than 5m in geometrical diameter were fractionated with a coupling of supersonical dispersion in methyl alcohol and filtration through antistatic Nucleopore filter into >1.0, 1.0–0.8, 0.8–0.6m.Submicrometer (1.0–0.6m) and micrometer coal fly ash (25–20m) were separated into six density fractions and their compositions measured by SEM-EDX were compared. For the both size fractions, for the low density fractions (<2.8 g/cm³) consisted mainly of aluminosilicates and the fractions of 2.8–3.2 g/cm³ consisted of oxides of aluminum, silicon and calcium, and in the fraction above 3.2 g/cm³ iron was rich. In submicrometer fly ash, phosphor and sulfur concentrated to the particles rich in calcium. In the heaviest fraction, the particles containing over 30 wt% titanium as oxide observed among the particles rich in iron. These fractions were revealed not as a single component, but as mixtures of several components.     

粉煤灰物化性质对单质汞吸附性能的影响

在固定床实验台上考察了三种不同来源粉煤灰对单质汞的吸附性能,采用X射线荧光光谱仪、X射线光电子能谱仪、激光粒度分析仪、扫描电子显微镜等对不同粉煤灰的物化性质进行了表征,并探讨了物化性质对汞吸附性能的影响。结果表明,粉煤灰对汞的吸附包括物理吸附和化学吸附;粉煤灰中未燃尽碳是影响粉煤灰汞吸附性能的重要因素之一,其中,表面C元素与Ti、Si等元素(M)相互作用形成的"C-M"化学键促进了单质汞的氧化,同时粉煤灰中含有的无机化合物Fe₂O₃等也对单质汞的氧化有促进作用;增大比表面积和减小孔径,及适中的颗粒粒径均有利于提高粉煤灰单质汞吸附性能。     

Preparation of activated carbon for mercury capture from chicken waste and coal

Chicken waste and chicken waste blended samples with selected high sulfur coal were used as raw materials for activated carbon preparation. Raw materials were subjected to the preparation procedures of carbonization in a nitrogen atmosphere and activation in a steam atmosphere. The basic properties of the raw materials, chars and activated carbons were investigated by components analysis, surface porosity and thermogravimetric analysis. Two activated carbon samples were selected for elemental mercury capture tests in a lab-scale drop tube reactor with air flow.

The current results show that chicken waste is not a suitable raw material for activated carbon production due to its higher contents of volatile matter and ash. Coal can be used as a carbon carrier for improving the carbon content of products. A low-cost activated carbon was prepared by a co-process of chicken waste and coal, and examining the high capture efficiency for elemental mercury. It suggests that the coal provides a carbon carrier or trap for some active species, such as chlorine released from the chicken waste. These active species would likely provide or create the adsorptive sites on the surface of activated carbon for elemental mercury.     

粉煤灰合成Na-X沸石去除废水中镍离子的研究

粉煤灰通过碱熔融 水热法合成了Na-X型沸石,研究了Na-X型沸石的用量、吸附时间、溶液pH值、初始镍离子浓度和温度对废水中镍离子去除效果的影响。结果表明,Na-X型粉煤灰沸石对镍离子的去除性能与化学原料合成的13X相当,明显优于粉煤灰。在20℃,pH值为6,沸石用量10g/L,吸附15min时,对初始浓度为20mg/L~150mg/L的镍离子去除率均可达90%以上。镍离子的吸附过程符合Langmiur吸附等温方程式,其单层吸附量为11.2×10^-3。粉煤灰沸石重复使用5次,对废水中镍离子的去除率仍高达95%,再生性能良好。     

Adsorption of methyl mercaptan on surface modified activated carbon

The influence of surface modification of activated carbon on the adsorption of methyl mercaptan in N(2) was investigated. The modification of the activated carbon was carried out by treatment with HNO(3)/H(2)SO(4) solutions, heat-treatment in Ar, and adsorption of cetylamine. Acid-treatment increased the adsorption of methyl mercaptan compared with the original activated carbon, and the adsorbed amounts increased with ratio of H(2)SO(4) in HNO(3)/H(2)SO(4) solutions. This result suggests that hydrogen bonding between acidic groups formed by acid-treatment and thiol groups of methyl mercaptan plays a role in adsorption of methyl mercaptan on activated carbon.     

Studies of fly ash using thermal analysis techniques

Improved thermoanalytical methods have been developed that are capable of quantitative identification of various components of fly ash from a laboratory-scale fluidized bed combustion system. The thermogravimetric procedure developed can determine quantities of H₂O, Ca(OH)₂, CaCO₃, CaSO₄ and carbonaceous matter in fly ash with accuracy comparable to more time-consuming ASTM methods. This procedure is a modification of the Mikhail-Turcotte methods that can accurately analyze bed ash, with higher accuracy regarding the greater amount of carbonaceous matter in fly ash. In addition, in conjunction with FTIR and SEM/EDS analyses, the reduction mechanism of CaSO₄ as CaSO₄+4H₂ CaS + 4H₂O has been confirmed in this study. This mechanism is important in analyzing and evaluating sulfur capture in fluidized-bed combustion systems.     

Kinetic and equilibrium studies of urea adsorption onto activated carbon: Adsorption mechanism

We found that activated carbon effectively removed urea from solution and that urea adsorption onto activated carbon followed a pseudo-second-order kinetic model. We classified the urea adsorption on activated carbon as physical adsorption and found that it was best described by the Halsey adsorption isotherm, suggesting that the multilayer adsorption of urea molecules on the adsorption sites of activated carbon best characterized the adsorption system. The mechanism of adsorption of urea by activated carbon involved two steps. First, an amino (–NH₂) group of urea interacted with a carbonyl (–C?O) group and a hydroxyl (?OH) group on the surface of activated carbon via dipole–dipole interactions. Next, the –C?O group of the urea molecule adsorbed to the activated carbon interacted with another –NH₂ group from a second urea molecule, leading to multilayer adsorption.     

Conversion of teak wood waste into microwave-irradiated activated carbon for cationic methylene blue dye removal: Optimization and batch studies

The objective of this study is to find optimum preparation conditions in converting teak wood waste into activated carbon (TWAC) and to evaluate its performance in adsorbing cationic dye of methylene blue (MB). TWAC was produced via physiochemical activation (potassium hydroxide, KOH chemical treatment, and carbon dioxide, CO₂ gasification) and heated through microwave irradiation technique. With the aid of response surface methodology (RSM), optimized TWAC was successfully synthesized at radiation power, radiation time, and impregnation ratio (IR) of 366 W, 5.30 min, and 1.15 g/g, respectively. These preparation conditions produced TWAC with MB adsorption uptakes of 66.69 mg/g and a yield of 38.23%. Characteristics of TWAC in terms of BET surface area, mesopores surface area, total pore volume, and average pore diameter were determined to be 1345.25 m²/g, 878.63 m²/g, 0.6140 cm³/g, and 2.85 nm, respectively. Isotherm studies divulged that the MB-TWAC adsorption system followed the Langmuir model with a maximum monolayer adsorption capacity of 567.52 mg/g. In terms of kinetic studies, this adsorption system fit pseudo-second order model the best whereas Boyd plot confirmed that the adsorption process was controlled by the film diffusion mechanism. Thermodynamic parameters of enthalpy change, ΔH°, entropy change, ΔS°, Gibbs free energy, ΔG° and Arrhenius activation energy, E_a were calculated to be ?4.06 kJ/mol, 0.06 kJ/mol.K, –22.69 kJ/mol and 16.03 kJ/mol, respectively. The activation and microwave heating methods employed succeeded to produce TWAC with excellent adsorption performance in removing MB dye. TWAC was also successfully regenerated for 5 cycles via microwave heating technique.