Effects of various precursors on characteristics and adsorption capacities of synthesized activated carbons for ethanol separation from aqueous solution

In this paper, three bio-based precursors, hazelnut shell, ziziphus spina-christi and askari grape stalk were used as raw materials to synthesize three activated carbons, HPAC, ZPAC and GPAC, respectively, by chemical activation method with phosphoric acid. The synthesized activated carbons were characterized by Scanning electron microscope(SEM), Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) analysis. Surface area, mean pore diameter and total pore volume of the adsorbents were determined by N2 adsorption. The synthsized adsorbents had a surface area between 319 m2/g to 590 m2/g. These activated carbons were used for separation of ethanol from aqueous solution. Adsorption equilibrium data were fitted with langmuir isotherm. Results show that the adsorption of ethanol with these activated carbons is an effictive method for producing fuel grade bioethanol.

Keywords:

Activated carbon , Hazelnut shell , Ziziphus spina-christi , Grape stalk , Ethanol , chemical activation , adsorption