Fabrication and characterization porous carbon rod-shaped from almond natural fibers for environmental applications

In this research, porous carbon rod-shaped has been successfully fabricated by using almond shell as a lignocellulosic starting material. The porous carbon rods were prepared using powdered almond shell plus chitosan as a binder that both of ingredients are agriculture and marine wastes. This homogeneous and readily moldable mixture was next forced through a stainless-steel cylindrical die using a uniaxial press at 30 °C while applying a pressure of 100 kPa during the 4 min of the run. The dried rods were later carbonized at different temperatures ranging from 500 to 800 °C and were then physically activated in an oxidizing gas flow (O2/Ar). This study well demonstrated that surface area increases with an increase in the carbonization temperature. While almond shell has low specific surface area and pore volume, the almond shell rods take advantage of an increased surface area from 43 to 67 m2/g and a pore volume of less than 0.1 cm3/g when the carbonization temperature increased from 500 to 800 °C. The surface area and pore volume of the physically activated rods have increased by 14% and 23%, respectively compared to non-activated ones. The stability of rods resulting from properties such as inheriting crack-free, crumbling and peeling off was tested using aqueous solution of methylene blue. By applying solid wastes, the porous carbon rod shaped in both liquid and gaseous phases, can be considered as a promising adsorbent and contributing to reach a clean environmental. The adsorption capacities of methylene blue and phenol demonstrated that porous carbon rod-shaped has a moderate adsorption capacity.