CHARACTERIZATION OF PHYSICALLY AND CHEMICALLY ACTIVATED CARBON DERIVED FROM PALM KERNEL SHELLS

Abstract

This research aimed to characterize the physically and chemically activated carbons derived from charred palm kernel shells pyrolyzed at 400°C for 3 h in a slow pyrolysis batch reactor. The pyrolysis products were liquid smoke, charcoal, and tar. For the physical activation, the charcoal was carbonized at 600°C for 3 h in a furnace. For the chemical activation, 0.1 M NaOH, 0.1 M HCl, and 3% liquid smoke were used as activators (impregnation time: 24 h). The activated carbons were subsequently characterized by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and X-ray diffraction (XRD) analyses. The results indicated that the activated carbons met the Indonesian Industry Standard No. 0258-88. The chemical pore size: 287.9 nm–3.965 μm). The XRD analysis showed a broad peak at 2θ = 22.76°, indicating the formation of a SiO2 amorphous structure. The FTIR analysis results indicated that the absorption patterns of the activated carbons demonstrated the presence of the functional groups O–H, C=O, C–H, and C=C; the presence of O–H and C–O indicated that the activated carbons were polar. The NaOH-activated carbon was then used to adsorb cadmium ions in a semi-continuously packed bed column, and it demonstrated a removal efficiency of 38%.