Activated Carbons Derived from Livestock Sewage Sludge and their Absorption Ability for the Livestock Sewage

An improved method, microwave heating with direct chemical activation, was applied to prepare activated carbons from livestock sewage sludge (LCA) in the work. Preparation parameters’ influences on iodine adsorption capacity and yield rate of the product were explored. It is found that the activated carbon activated by KOH has a higher iodine value compared to that done by zinc chloride and H3PO4. These ideal activation conditions are attained: microwave power, 480W; radiation time, 14 min; the KOH concentration, 10 mol/L. Under these conditions, the activated carbons’ BET surface area is 684.65m2/g, the iodine value is 721.64 mg/g, and the yield ratio is 25.71%. Other physical properties are also reported. Then the activated carbon made under the ideal conditions was used to treat livestock sewage. When the dose of activated carbon is 0.4 g/L and the absorption time reaches 3 h, this product can promote obviously the removal of chemical oxygen demand (COD), odor and chroma.