Preparation and characterization of activated carbon for hydrogen storage from waste African oil-palm by microwave-induced LiOH basic activation

摘要

African palm shell-based activated carbon was prepared via a microwave-induced activation process using LiOH base as the activating agent. The effect on the activation process of various factors such as microwave intensity and duration of radiation at a LiOH/carbon ratio of 0.5 was studied. The optimal activation conditions were determined as: a microwave intensity of 800 W, a radiation time 15 min and a LiOH/carbon ratio of 0.5, under which a surface area of 1350 m~2/g with a hydrogen capacity of 6.5 wt% could be achieved. The surface chemical properties were characterized using several methods including point of zero charge (pH_(pzc)) measurement and FTIR spectra. Comparisons with the conventional thermal process demonstrated that the microwave-induced activation process had a faster activation rate and higher carbon yield. A textural analysis following the development of microporosity was also performed.