Hakan Demiral

Removal of nitrate from aqueous solutions by activated carbon prepared from sugar beet bagasse.

In this study, activated carbons were prepared from sugar beet bagasse by chemical activation and the prepared activated carbons were used to remove nitrate from aqueous solutions. In chemical activation, ZnCl(2) was used as chemical agent. The effects of impregnation ratio and activation temperature were investigated. The produced activated carbons were characterized by measuring their porosities and pore size distributions. The microstructure of the activated carbons was examined by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The maximum specific surface area of the activated carbon was about 1826m(2)/g at 700 degrees C and at an impregnation ratio of 3:1. The resulting activated carbon was used for removal of nitrate from aqueous solution. The effects of pH, temperature and contact time were investigated. Isotherm studies were carried out and the data were analyzed by Langmuir, Freundlich and Temkin equations. Three simplified kinetic models were tested to investigate the adsorption mechanism.

Preparation and Characterization of Activated Carbon from Chestnut Shell and its Adsorption Characteristics for Lead

Activated carbons were prepared from chestnut shell by phosphoric acid activation and the prepared activated carbons were used to remove lead(II) from aqueous solutions. The effects of impregnation ratio (IR) and activation temperature on activated carbon production were investigated. The produced activated carbons were characterized by N2 adsorption, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and atomic force microscopy (AFM) techniques. The highest surface area (1611 m2/g) and total pore volume (0.7819 cm3/g) were obtained at a carbonization temperature of 500°C with an impregnation ratio of 3/1. The resulting activated carbon was used for removal of lead(II) from aqueous solution. The effects of temperature, contact time, and adsorbent dosage were investigated. The adsorption isotherm studies were carried out and the obtained data were analyzed by the Langmuir, Freundlich, and Temkin equations. The rate of adsorption was found to conform to the pseudo-second-order kinetic model. The Langmuir isotherm equation showed better fit for all temperatures and the maximum adsorption capacities of lead(II) was obtained as 138.88 mg/g at 45°C.