Activated Carbon from Sugarcane Bagasse Pyrolysis for Heavy Metals Adsorption

Abstract

Sugarcane bagasse is an agro-industrial waste available in enormous quantities in Egypt. It is rich of organic carbon which makes it a potential feedstock for activated carbon production. This study provides an optimized pyrolysis method for activated carbon production from Sugarcane bagasse. Sugarcane bagasse samples impregnated with sulfuric acid, for 24 h, and carbonized at 500 °C, for two hours, yielded the best activated carbon with a surface area of 431.375 m2/g. The best impregnation ratio was 2.5:1 (sulfuric acid/bagasse). The prepared activated carbon was used for adsorbing heavy metals (Pb, Cd, Mn, Cu, Cr) from Nile Tilapia reused frying oil. It could adsorb 80% of the heavy metals and particularly removed the Cd. The characteristics of the prepared activated carbon are comparable to those recommended for the commercial activated carbon. The production cost of the activated carbon using this method is about 707 $ which is cheaper than the commercial activated carbon by about 40%.