Synthesis of activated carbon from mango seed coat and its application in synthetic textile dyes removal

Abstract

In the present study, the activated carbon was synthesized from Mango Seed Coat (MSC) using chemical activation. The raw material Mango Seed Coat (MSC) was characterized using proximate and Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) analysis to evaluate the composition and surface functional groups. The synthesis of Mango Seed Coat Activated Carbon (MSCAC) and the optimization of different operating conditions such as activation temperatures (300oC to 600oC),activating agents (KOH, H3PO4, HNO3, HCl, NaOH and ZnCl2),and, impregnation volume percentages (25 %, 50 %, 75 %, 100 %) and activation hours (1hr, 2hr, 3hr and 4hr) was carried out. The Mango Seed Coat Carbon (MSCAC) characteristics namely iodine number, methylene blue number and percentage yield, were determined to verify presence of micro pore, meso pore and percentage yield of carbon respectively for further application to gas and liquid operation. The Mango Seed Coat Activated Carbon (MSCAC) synthesized at optimum conditions were also characterized using Brunauer Emmett Teller (BET) surface area, Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy (FESEM) and Energy Dispersive Analysis X-ray (EDAX) analysis. To synthesis Mango Seed Coat Activated Carbon (MSCAC) for gas applications, the optimum operating conditions were, activating agent - H3PO4 (1N), impregnation volume 75%, activation time 1 hr, activating temperature 400oC. For liquid applications the optimum operating conditions were, activating agent H3PO4 (1N), impregnation volume 50%, activation time 1 hr, activating temperature 400oC. newline