(665c) Renewable Activated Carbons Derived from Food Waste: Application on Phenol adsorption

Phenol and its derivatives are widely used chemicals in various industrial sites, such as refineries, pharmaceuticals, pesticides, and plastics production. These chemicals are classified as priority pollutants, due to their high toxicity and low biodegradability. Therefore, the wastewater streams from various industrial sites must be treated to lower the concentrations of phenols prior to their discharged to the environment. The adsorption of phenolic compounds by activated carbon is considered the most favorable treatment method owing to its low cost, high efficiency, simplicity and availability.¹

Activated carbons can be produced from various resources, such as fossil related resources and biomass.^2,3 Food waste is generated in significant amounts every day and it is considered one of the most important challenges of our generation. However, it can also be considered as an abundant and renewable resource for energy and/or materials production.⁴ In this study, we prepared activated carbons from food waste via pyrolysis and physical activation. Pyrolysis and activation conditions were varied to optimize the properties of biochars and activated carbons, respectively. Biochars and activated carbons were characterized by N₂ sorption-desorption, scanning electron microscope (SEM), energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), elemental analysis, inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectroscopy (ICP-OES), X-ray powder diffraction (XRD) and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR).

Adsorption experiments of phenol were conducted to evaluate the feasibility of using the activated carbons derived from food waste for the removal of phenol from aqueous solutions. Here we will present the experimental results (maximum capacity, kinetic parameters and effects of pH) and we will discuss how activated carbons derived from food waste are compared to commercially available carbons derived from fossil resources.

Keywords: Activated carbons, food waste, waste valorization, phenol adsorption

References

(1) Da̧browski, A.; Podkościelny, P.; Hubicki, Z.; Barczak, M. Adsorption of Phenolic Compounds by Activated Carbon - A Critical Review. Chemosphere 2005, 58 (8), 1049–1070.

(2) Sircar, S.; Golden, T. C.; Rao, M. B. Activated Carbon for Gas Separation and Storage. Carbon N. Y. 1996, 34 (1), 1–12.

(3) Park, J.; Hung, I.; Gan, Z.; Rojas, O. J.; Lim, K. H.; Park, S. Activated Carbon from Biochar: Influence of Its Physicochemical Properties on the Sorption Characteristics of Phenanthrene. Bioresour. Technol. 2013, 149, 383–389.

(4) Lin, C. S. K.; Pfaltzgraff, L. A.; Herrero-Davila, L.; Mubofu, E. B.; Abderrahim, S.; Clark, J. H.; Koutinas, A. A.; Kopsahelis, N.; Stamatelatou, K.; Dickson, F.; et al. Food Waste as a Valuable Resource for the Production of Chemicals, Materials and Fuels. Current Situation and Global Perspective. Energy Environ. Sci. 2013, 6 (2), 426–464.