Characterization of carbon materials and differences from activated carbon particle (ACP) and coal briquettes product (CBP) derived from coconut shell via rotary kiln

Biomass carbon production is currently a large industrial source of energy conversion. This study describes the conversion process of coconut shells, using a rotary kiln, into activated carbon particles (ACP) and coal briquettes product (CBP). The ACP and CBP samples were analyzed and characterized through x-ray fluorecence (XR-F), heating value (HV), pore size distribution, and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The results showed high thermal values in the reactor core at a controlled temperature of between 0 and 800 °C within 25 min per round. The characteristics of ACP and CBP derived from coconut shells revealed high potential of necessary composition by XR-F. The analysis of ACP and CBP showed that the resulting product could be a potential source of renewable solid fuel with a heating value of 33.45 and 27.45 MJ kg−1, respectively. The pore size distribution of ACP and CBP showed that the cumulative pore volume of ACP was higher than CBP. SEM patterns revealed amorphous nature of the carbons feature in ACP including stacked features in CBP and the existence of carbon-rich large molecules. These analyses of contents of the resultant ACP and CBP indicated that there is a high possibility of this product being viable power sources.