A Comprehensive Research on Preparation and Characterization of Corn Curbs Adsorbent

In preparation and characterization of adsorbent obtained from corn curbs, potassium hydroxide was used as an activating agent at ratio of 1:1, 7:8 and 3:4 with the corn curbs and their pH values were found to be 8.5, 8.03 and 8.0 respectively, ash content were found to be 41.56, 46.78 and 48.31wt%. The BET surface area values were 17.762461, 25.455146 and 201.54631m2/g respectively and the best activated carbon formulation arrived was 3:4 AC.

INTRODUCTION  

An  adsorbent  is  a  porous  membrane,  granular  beds  with  high  surface  area  that  can  adsorb substance  onto  its  surface  by  intermolecular  forces.  Due  to  the  fact  that  solute  can  be distributed  between  the  adsorbent  surface  and  a  mobile  phase,  adsorbents  are  used  as stationary phases in gas, solid and liquid solid chromatography. Adsorbents are also used for extraction purposes removing of traces of organic materials from large volumes of water very efficiently (of solid phase extraction devices). One of the most common example of adsorbent is the activated carbon. 

Activated  carbon  is  a  product  of  carbonisation  and  activation  of  carbonaceous  materials. These  processes result in  production of  large surface  area, and  provide the carbon with  the ability  to adsorb  gases and  vapours from  gases or dissolved and dispersed substances from liquids.  It  has  been  regarded  as  a  unique  and  versatile  adsorbent  because  of  its  extended surface  area,  microporous  structure,  high  adsorption  capacity,  and  high  degree  of  surface reactivity.  The  adsorptive  property  lends  the  carbon  to  a  wide  range  of  applications,  the demand  for  activated  carbon  is  increasing  partly  due  to  its  use  in  industries  in  solution purification and solvent reclamation, and in research laboratories as decolorizing agents and catalyst support. (Odebumi, 2001) 

Generally,  the  raw  materials  for  the  production of  AC  are  those  with  high  carbon  but  low inorganic contents such as wood, lignite, peat and coal. Besides that, lot of agricultural waste and by product have successfully converted to AC for examples macadamia nutshell, paper mill sludge and peach stones. In Malaysia there are potential raw materials resources for the production of the activated carbon. (Nurul'ain, 2007). Yet activated carbon is not readily available locally and the quantity consumed in Nigeria is largely imported.