PHYSICAL (STEAM) ACTIVATION OF POST-GASIFICATION BIOCHAR DERIVED FROM PEACH PITS

摘要

Activated carbon is one of the most effective materials for removing a wide range of contaminants from water, e.g., industrial and municipal wastewater. In this paper, physical (steam) activation of peach pit biochar obtained from a biomass gasification power plant is explored. Activation experiments were carried out at various temperatures, steam flow rates, and activation times. The initial biochar and activated biochar samples have been analyzed for porosity, chemical composition and surface morphology. From the porosity analyses it was determined that the raw biochar had a surface area in the order of 1 m~2/g, whereas the activated samples had surface areas ranging from 379 m~2/g to nearly 600 m~2/g. The burn off ranged from 29 % to 56 %. Energy wise, the biochar sample processed for the shortest time with the lowest flow rate had the largest ratio of surface area-to-consumed energy.