Abstract:
Chemicals, heavy metals, and colorants contained in textile effluents pose a major threat
to human health. To effectively remove these pollutants, ion exchange, membrane
processes, physicochemical strategies, and biological techniques must all be applied.
Activated carbon stands out as a feasible option among other treatment methods due to its
porous nature and capacity to efficiently remove these contaminants. Environment
friendly production of activated carbon from agricultural and industrial waste is a means
of reducing water pollution. Given that the global market for Glass Fiber Reinforced
Plastic (GFRP) is expected to reach an average value of $61.3 million by 2028, the
potential for employing GFRP industrial waste for water treatment is enormous. Pyrolysis
was used to convert the GFRP waste samples into activated carbon at varied temperatures
and time periods. Additionally, some samples went through a one-step ZnCl2 activation
process. X-ray crystallography (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR),
scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and Raman spectroscopy were utilized to
characterize the manufactured samples. According to XRD patterns, amorphous carbon
has a noticeable hump between two theta (2Ɵ) values of 20° and 30°. FTIR was used to
identify the presence of essential functional groups required for effective adsorption of
organic/inorganic contaminants. SEM findings revealed the porous nature of synthesized
activated carbon along with qualitative assessment of the amount of carbon on the glass
fiber. Raman spectroscopy was used to confirm the activated carbon's disorganized
structure. Additionally, UV-Vis Spectroscopy revealed that samples that had previously
undergone ZnCl2 treatment and been pyrolyzed for 20 minutes significantly increased the
capacity of activated carbon to absorb methylene blue. This proved that the recommended
method might potentially create activated carbon with superior adsorption properties. This
eco-friendly process has the potential to generate activated carbon for purposes other than
water filtration. It may be used to create supercapacitors, store fuel, and absorb CO2.
Overall, this study showed that industrial waste can be used to make a useful and
environmentally friendly way to clean up water
