TY - JOUR
T1 - Effects of carbon precursors and activation agents on the physicochemical characteristics and aurocyanide adsorption patterns of agro waste-based activated carbons
AU - Bediako, John Kwame
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2025 The Author(s).
PY - 2026/3
Y1 - 2026/3
N2 - The types of carbon precursors and chemical activation agents greatly influence the physicochemical properties of activated carbons (ACs). In this study, the physicochemical characteristics and aurocyanide adsorption patterns of ACs synthesized from different agro waste precursors and activation agents were carried out. FTIR, XRD, BET, DSC/TGA and XPS were used to effectively characterize the synthesized ACs. The physicochemical changes observed were more significant in the activation agent-based ACs than the precursor-based ACs owing to the different degrees of activation. ZnCl2-AC and KOH-AC were the best in terms of aurocyanide adsorption capacities, with experimental uptakes reaching 346.34 and 327.88 mg/g, respectively. These uptakes were higher than those of commercial ACs, Haycarb and Norit C-Gran. Physical adsorption, electrostatic, and π‒π interactions played a collective role in the effective binding of the aurocyanide complex onto the ACs.
AB - The types of carbon precursors and chemical activation agents greatly influence the physicochemical properties of activated carbons (ACs). In this study, the physicochemical characteristics and aurocyanide adsorption patterns of ACs synthesized from different agro waste precursors and activation agents were carried out. FTIR, XRD, BET, DSC/TGA and XPS were used to effectively characterize the synthesized ACs. The physicochemical changes observed were more significant in the activation agent-based ACs than the precursor-based ACs owing to the different degrees of activation. ZnCl2-AC and KOH-AC were the best in terms of aurocyanide adsorption capacities, with experimental uptakes reaching 346.34 and 327.88 mg/g, respectively. These uptakes were higher than those of commercial ACs, Haycarb and Norit C-Gran. Physical adsorption, electrostatic, and π‒π interactions played a collective role in the effective binding of the aurocyanide complex onto the ACs.
KW - Activated carbons
KW - Activation agents
KW - Agro waste precursors
KW - Aurocyanide adsorption
KW - Physicochemical properties
UR - https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/105024842933
U2 - 10.1016/j.rineng.2025.108715
DO - 10.1016/j.rineng.2025.108715
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:105024842933
SN - 2590-1230
VL - 29
JO - Results in Engineering
JF - Results in Engineering
M1 - 108715
ER -