Preparation and Characterization of Activated Carbon from Polyathia longifolia Seed Waste through various Activation Processes

Activated carbon prepared from Polyalthia longifolia seeds by various chemical processes have shown excellent improvement in the surface characteristics. Surface morphology plays a significant role in the adsorption properties along with surface functional groups, activated carbon microspores, mesopores and macrospores. The volume of these pores varies depending upon the activating agents used during various processes. SEM was used to examine the morphology of the resulting sample, and infrared spectroscopy was used to investigate the surface functional group. Physico-chemical characteristics such as bulk density, moisture content, ash content, matter soluble in water, soluble in acid, pH, iodine number, conductivity, porosity, yield percentage and surface area were measured to determine the carbon's suitability as an adsorbent. The findings have shown that activated carbon made with Polyalthia longifolia by H₂So₄ impregnation followed by activation at 110 ^°C yielded activated carbon with the largest surface area and the most developed micro-, meso- and macro-porosities.