Synthesis and Characterization of Activated Carbon and its Application for Wastewater Treatment

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