Preparation and Characterization of Hydrothermal Activated Carbon from Banana Empty Fruit Bunch with ZnCl2 Activation for Removal of Phenol in Aqueous Solution

Abstract

Background and Objective: Banana empty fruit bunch is a solid waste. It was easily found in large quantity and good for activated carbon precursor. The activated carbon banana empty fruit bunch was characterized and used for removal of phenol in solution. This study was conducted to produce activated carbon from banana empty fruit bunch. Materials and Methods: Preparation of activated carbon was conducted using zinc chloride activation under hydrothermal carbonization at 200EC. Its application was used for removal of phenol with different adsorption factors such as pH, contact time, concentration and adsorbent dosage. Results: Nitrogen adsorption desorption isotherm curve clearly showed Type IV with hysteresis loop relating with the presence of mesopores. The BET and Langmuir surface area were 46.304 and 69.166 m 2 gG 1 , respectively. Surface chemistry exhibited more oxygen functional groups. Morphology exposed irregular pores and most of them were closed by the presence of zinc, silicon and other elements. The equilibrium adsorption were calculated by the Langmuir and Freundlich isotherm models. The Freundlich isotherm value showed a goodness-of-fit line with a correlation coefficient, R 2 value 0.9958 which was more favorable adsorption than those in the Langmuir adsorption. Conclusion: The banana empty fruit bunch activated carbon exhibited predominantly heterogeneous surfaces with multisite pores and was effective for removal of phenol.