Characterization of Carbons Produced from Gelidium Corneum and Adsorption of Crystal Violet

Abstract

Due to high production costs, the production of activated carbon from waste has attracted a lot of attention recently. In this study, gelidium corneum (GC) was carbonized at 800 °C for 90 min. Its carbonization yield, adsorption capacity, and physical and chemical properties were investigated. Ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy (UV), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), proximate analysis and ultimate analysis were performed. According to XRD analysis, the structure of GC is semi-crystalline, but the crystalline structure increases after carbonization. The carbonization yield of GC was about 39%. According to SEM, UV and XRD analysis, the carbonization process supported crystallinity and the formation of micropore/mesopore structures. The crystal violet (CV) removal and adsorption capacity were 96 % and 9.63 mg/g at an initial dye concentration of 50 mg/L, 30 °C, adsorbent dosage of 5 g/L, constant stirring speed of 200 rpm and equilibration time of 60 min, respectively. The carbonized gelidium corneum (cGC) can be used as a suitable adsorbent for the removal of dyes from aqueous solutions. It can also be an alternative product to commercial products because of its high adsorption capacity and cost-effectiveness.