Syntheses and characterization of surface–modified carbon materials

Abstract

Surface-modified carbons were synthesized from biomaterials such as tamarind fruit shells, watermelon seeds, adamant creeper, Indian spurge tree, and the natural biopolymer, starch using modifying agents. Modification of surface was achieved by, on one hand, dispersing fluorophilic elements such as calcium, iron, and cerium and, on the other hand, using ammonium carbonate to generate more porosity on the surface. These surface-modified carbon adsorbents were characterized for BET isotherm, iodine number, elemental analysis, Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), SEM, and XRD studies. There were no appreciable changes in the stretching frequencies, surface morphology, and diffraction patterns after the fluoride sorption onto these carbonized materials.