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Self‐purging microwave pyrolysis: an innovative approach to convert oil palm shell into carbon‐rich biochar for methylene blue adsorption
Author(s) -
Kong SiengHuat,
Lam Su Shiung,
Yek Peter Nai Yuh,
Liew Rock Keey,
Ma Nyuk Ling,
Osman Mohammad Shahril,
Wong Chee Chung
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
journal of chemical technology and biotechnology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.64
H-Index - 117
eISSN - 1097-4660
pISSN - 0268-2575
DOI - 10.1002/jctb.5884
Subject(s) - biochar , pyrolysis , carbonization , adsorption , carbon fibers , methylene blue , raw material , microporous material , chemical engineering , materials science , nuclear chemistry , chemistry , activated carbon , bet theory , pulp and paper industry , organic chemistry , composite material , photocatalysis , catalysis , composite number , engineering
BACKGROUND Oil palm shell (OPS) is a biomass widely available from palm oil mills. Self‐purging microwave pyrolysis (SPMP) was performed to produce carbon‐rich biochar from OPS for the adsorption of methylene blue dye. The effect of feedstock amount on the pyrolysis temperature, yield and characteristics of the biochar were investigated. RESULT The amount of feedstock was directly proportional to the final pyrolysis temperature. The pyrolysis reached a maximum final temperature of 760 °C when ≥300 g of OPS was loaded into the reactor without microwave absorbent. A heating rate of up to 105 °C min −1 was recorded, producing a yield of 40 wt% of biochar at a short processing time of 20 min. The biochar obtained at 700 °C showed relatively low volatile matter (24 wt%), higher fixed carbon content (66 wt%), carbon (78.5 wt%), oxygen (17.7 wt%), a highly porous structure with high BET surface area of 410 m 2 g −1 and pore volume of 0.16 cm 3 g −1 , and recorded a methylene blue dye adsorption efficiency of 20 mg g −1 . CONCLUSION The SPMP approach showed exceptional promise to produce biochar with low H/C ratio (0.5) and O/C ratio (0.2), which indicated a high degree of carbonization and stability of the biochar to act as a durable agent in wastewater treatment. © 2018 Society of Chemical Industry