School of Forestry, Henan Agricultural University, Zhengzhou, 450002, China; University College of Technology Sarawak, Department of Engineering, 96000, Sibu, Sarawak, Malaysia; Pyrolysis Technology Research Group, Eastern Corridor Renewable Energy Group (ECRE), School of Ocean Engineering, Universiti Malaysia Terengganu, 21030 Kuala Nerus, Terengganu, Malaysia.
Pyrolysis Technology Research Group, Eastern Corridor Renewable Energy Group (ECRE), School of Ocean Engineering, Universiti Malaysia Terengganu, 21030 Kuala Nerus, Terengganu, Malaysia; NV Western PLT, 208B, Second Floor, Macalister Road, Georgetown, 10400 Penang, Malaysia.
J Environ Manage. 2019 Apr 15;236:245-253. doi: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2019.01.010. Epub 2019 Feb 5.
Microwave-steam activation (MSA), an innovative pyrolysis approach combining the use of microwave heating and steam activation, was investigated for its potential production of high grade activated carbon (AC) from waste palm shell (WPS) for methylene blue removal. MSA was performed via pyrolytic carbonization of WPS to produce biochar as the first step followed by steam activation of the biochar using microwave heating to form AC. Optimum yield and adsorption efficiency of methylene blue were obtained using response surface methodology involving several key process parameters. The resulting AC was characterized for its porous characteristics, surface morphology, proximate analysis and elemental compositions. MSA provided a high activation temperature above 500 °C with short process time of 15 min and rapid heating rate (≤150 °C/min). The results from optimization showed that one gram of AC produced from steam activation under 10 min of microwave heating at 550 °C can remove up to 38.5 mg of methylene blue. The AC showed a high and uniform surface porosity consisting high fixed carbon (73 wt%), micropore and BET surface area of 763.1 and 570.8 m/g respectively, hence suggesting the great potential of MSA as a promising approach to produce high grade adsorbent for dye removal.
微波蒸汽活化（MSA）是一种将微波加热和蒸汽活化结合使用的创新性热解方法，本研究旨在探索其从废棕榈壳（WPS）生产高等级活性炭（AC）以去除亚甲基蓝的潜力。MSA 通过 WPS 的热解碳化产生生物炭作为第一步，然后使用微波加热对生物炭进行蒸汽活化以形成 AC。采用涉及多个关键工艺参数的响应面法，获得了最佳的亚甲基蓝产率和吸附效率。所得 AC 的多孔特性、表面形貌、近似分析和元素组成均进行了表征。MSA 提供了高于 500°C 的高活化温度，工艺时间短（15 分钟），加热速度快（≤150°C/min）。优化结果表明，在 550°C 下微波加热 10 分钟时，每克蒸汽活化可去除高达 38.5mg 的亚甲基蓝。AC 具有高且均匀的表面孔隙率，固定碳含量高达 73wt%，微孔和 BET 表面积分别为 763.1 和 570.8m/g，这表明 MSA 作为一种有前途的生产高等级染料去除吸附剂的方法具有巨大的潜力。
