Production, characterization and application of activated carbon obtained from the corncob: The search for the reuse of an agroindustrial waste

Abstract

The production, characterization and application of activated carbon obtained from corncobs as an adsorbent was studied. Fresh material was submitted to thermal analysis (TG-DTA), and the carbon obtained from chemical activation was characterized by specific surface area (SBET), distribution of pore size (DFT), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and Infrared spectroscopy with Fourier transform (FT-IR). The adsorption of orange dye (OG) and methylene blue (MB) proved that data from isothermal adsorption were better adjusted to the Sips model. The maximum quantities, 86 mg g-1 and 124 mg g-1, were obtained respectively for the adsorption of the dyes Orange G (OG) and Methylene Blue (MB). The results allow to conclude that the chemical activation of corncobs was responsible for the production of material, which is adequate to be applied as an adsorbent, enabling reuse of this agroindustrial residue.