Study and characterization of Sterculia foetida (Java olive) activated carbon black Filled composite materials

Abstract

High surface area activated carbon has been prepared from Sterculia Foetida by chemical activation with ortho-phosphoric acid at various temperatures (500–800 °C),weight ratios of ortho-phosphoric acid to sterculia foetida (P/L = 0.5–2.25) and impregnation times (1–48 h).as an activating agent were studied. Activated carbons with well-developed pore sizes were produced at activation temperatures of 500 and 800 °C. The BET surface areas and total pore volumes of the carbons produced at these temperatures are in the range of 1876–2678 m2/g and 1.49–1.62 cm3/g, respectively. Pore properties of the carbons including the BET surface area, pore volume, pore size distribution, and pore diameter were characterized from N2 isotherms The Fourier-infrared spectroscopy analysis of the prepared activated carbon has abundant functional groups on the surface. This study also assessed the micro porosity of activated carbon with a mean pore diameter of 0.59 nm using a micropore size distribution curve activated carbons were conducted to Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM).

Keywords

• Sterculia foetida
• Activated Carbon
• Scanning Electron Microscopy
• Adsorption thermodynamics
• Ortho-phosphoric acid