Activated Carbons from the Compressed Plant Materials (Coconut Shell) and Copolymers of Furfural

Abstract

This paper dwells upon the physical and chemical properties of activated carbons based on compressed plant materials (coconut shell) and on furfural copolymers, the paper also gives the results of their elemental analysis by ICP-MS method, the structure and morphology of the obtained sorbents have been determined by scanning electron microscopy. The specific surface of the obtained activated carbons has shown that a sorbent based on coconut shell has the highest specific surface (Sspecific surface = 1100 m 2 /g) if compared to the sorbent based on copolymers of furfural (Sspecific surface = 653 m 2 /g). However, the sorbent based on furfural copolymers has a higher mechanical resistance to abrasion (98%) and a low ash content (0.3%) compared to the indices of the sorbent based on coconut shell (mechanical strength = 92%, ash content = 2.5%). The study of the structure and morphology of the obtained activated carbons has shown that within the structure of the sorbent based on the copolymers of furfural mesopores predominate together with micropores, when in the structure of the sorbents based on coconut shells micropores are mostly predominant. The elemental analysis of the adsorbents has shown that they are mainly composed of carbon, but there were also some trace amounts of some other elements.