(225x) High Surface Area Activated Carbon from Plastic Wastes

Different types of plastic wastes have become a problem in the United States and in the rest of the world. Styrofoam, which is the brand name of extruded polystyrene, is one of the least recyclable plastics used in many countries. It is used many household and industrial items, for example, packing materials, single-use cups, plates, glass, or food containers. It has the least recycling value, most of it is ultimately ended up in landfill waste. In this research, at first, Styrofoam is converted to porous carbon upon chemically modifying its chemical structure as pristine styrofoam does not have a char yield. After that, the porous carbon is activated using steam and potassium hydroxide (KOH). The resultant porous carbon was characterized by pore textural properties, including BET surface area and pore size distribution, surface functionalities by FTIR and x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and shape and size by electron microscopy. The BET surface area of the carbons reached 3000 m²/g and pore volume 1.38 cm³/g. The carbons have been successfully employed for the water purification and gas separation purposes.