Obtention of activated carbon from candeia soot residue

Abstract

In this study, candeia soot waste was used for the production of activated carbons. Activation was investigated using three reagents (NaOH, H3PO4 and CO2). The results of thermal analysis and scanning electron microscopy show that the activated carbons present higher thermal stability and more regular and smaller particles when compared with the precursor. Surface area measurements showed that NaOH and CO2 activated carbons present higher specific surface areas (804 and 435 m2 g-1, respectively) and higher abilities to adsorb methylene blue (222 and 118 mgg-1, respectively). The adsorption capacity values of the activated carbons are nearly10.6 and 5.6 times higher than the value found for the candeia soot residue. The results demonstrate the great potential of obtaining activated carbons from residual soot.