Effect of Chemical Activator Concentration on the Quality of Activated Carbon from Polypropylene Plastic

Anis Artiyani, Warsito, Muhammad Sasmito Djati, Nur Hidayat

Abstract

Plastic is versatile, durable, and adaptable. Handling plastic waste, which is currently being researched and developed extensively, is converting it into active carbon. This research aims to determine the effect of the chemical activator concentration on the quality of activated carbon from polypropylene (PP) plastic. The conversion of PP plastic into functional carbon materials is a promising and economical paradigm. The carbonation method was chosen. The instrumentation employed in this investigation comprised an analytical balance, scissors, furnace, 100-mesh sieve, oven, desiccator, centrifuge tube, Erlenmeyer flask, buret, volumetric pipettes (10, 20, and 50 ml), 1000-ml volumetric flask, weighing bottle, and SEM (scanning electron microscopy) apparatus. The main material used in this research is PP (polypropylene) plastic waste. The chemicals used were distilled water, KOH, and K2CO3 (1, 2, 3, and 4 M), 1-M HCL, 0.1-N iodine solution, 0.1-N sodium thiosulfate (NA2S2O3) solution, and 1% starch indicator. The quality assessment was conducted by evaluating the water content and iodine absorption. Then, for the chemical activator, KOH and K2CO3 were used at concentrations of 1, 2, 3, and 4 M, respectively. The feasibility test for activated carbon consists of an I2 absorption test and a water content test. PP plastic waste can be used as an adsorbent in the form of activated carbon. The iodine test and water content absorbed from each activated carbon sample activated using KOH and K2CO3 chemical activators at concentrations of 1, 2, 3, and 4 M met the SNI 06-3730-1995 quality standards regarding activated carbon quality requirements, i.e., the minimum absorbed iodine was 700 mg/g. The activator with the highest concentration, specifically 4 M, yielded the greatest iodine absorption results, with values of 922.76 mg/g for KOH and 901.51 mg/g for K2CO3, respectively. Regarding water content, the results indicated that the highest concentration of activator corresponded to the lowest water content, namely 6% for 4-M KOH and 10% for 4-M K2CO3. This result shows that the greater the activator concentration, the greater the iodine absorption capacity, and the greater the activator concentration, the lower the water content.

 

Keywords: active carbon; carbonization; waste; polypropylene

 

DOI:10.62321/issn.1000-1298.2024.08.05



Download Full Text:

PDF


References


LIGERO A, CALERO M, PÉREZ A, et al. Low-cost activated carbon from the pyrolysis of post-consumer plastic waste and the application in CO2 capture. Process Safety and Environmental Protection, 2023, 173, 558–566.

FIRMANSYAH Y W, FUADI M F, RAMADHANSYAH M F, et al. Keberadaan Plastik di Lingkungan, Bahaya terhadap Kesehatan Manusia, dan Upaya Mitigasi: Studi Literatur. Jurnal Serambi Engineering, 2021, 6(4), 2279–2285.

LIU Y, WANG Y, ZOU L, et al. Research on the optimum carbonization process of walnut shell based on dynamic analysis. RSC Advances, 2023, 13(20), 13412–13422.

CHEN Z, WEI W, NI B-J, et al. Plastic wastes derived carbon materials for green energy and sustainable environmental applications. Environmental Functional Materials, 2022, 1(1), 34–48.

MALINI K, SELVAKUMAR D, KUMAR N S. Activated carbon from biomass: preparation, factors improving basicity and surface properties for enhanced CO2 capture capacity – a review. Journal of CO2 Utilization, 2023, 67, 102318.

WEN F, HE X, SUN S, et al. Production of polypropylene-derived novel porous carbon nanosheets through aromatization stabilization toward supercapacitor applications. Chemical Engineering Science, 2023, 270, 118559.

CHAN T-C, WU S-C, ULLAH A, et al. Integrating numerical techniques and predictive diagnosis for precision enhancement in roller cam rotary table. The International Journal of Advanced Manufacturing Technology, 2024, 132(7–8), 3427–3445.

LIU J-T, ZHENG Y-C, HOU X, et al. Structured carbon for electromagnetic shielding and microwave absorption from carbonization of waste polymer: a review. Chemical Engineering Journal, 2024, 496, 154013.

THIRUMAL V, YUVAKKUMAR R, RAVI G, et al. Characterization of activated biomass carbon from tea leaf for supercapacitor applications. Chemosphere, 2022, 291, 132931.

BLANCHARD R, MEKONNEN T H. Valorization of plastic waste via chemical activation and carbonization into activated carbon for functional material applications. RSC Applied Polymers, 2024, 2(4), 557–582.

LOULIDI I, JABRI M, AMAR A, et al. Comparative study on adsorption of crystal violet and chromium (VI) by activated carbon derived from spent coffee grounds. Applied Sciences, 2023, 13(2), 985.

CHAIRUNNISA N, MIKŠÍK F, MIYAZAKI T, et al. Enhancing water adsorption capacity of acorn nutshell based activated carbon for adsorption thermal energy storage application. Energy Reports, 2020, 6, 255–263.

OKO S, MUSTAFA M, KURNIAWAN A, et al. Pembuatan Karbon Aktif dari Limbah Plastik PET (Polyethylene terephthalate) Menggunakan Aktivator KOH. METANA, 2021, 17(2), 61–68.

NAZARI L, XU C (C), RAY M B. Waste plastics management and conversion into liquid fuels and carbon materials. In: Advanced and emerging technologies for resource recovery from wastes. Green chemistry and sustainable technology. Singapore: Springer, 2021: 157–178.

MAVROULIDOU M, GRAY C, PANTOJA-MUÑOZ L, et al. An assessment of different alkali-activated cements as stabilizers of sulfate-bearing soils. Quarterly Journal of Engineering Geology and Hydrogeology, 2023, 56(2). https://doi.org/10.1144/qjegh2022-057

WANI O A, AKHTER F, KUMAR S S, et al. Mitigating soil erosion through biomass-derived biochar: exploring the influence of feedstock types and pyrolysis temperature. Land, 2023, 12(12), 2111.

FAROOQ N, MALIK M A, HASHMI A A. Effective iodine adsorption and storage of volatile iodine by nitrogen-rich porous organic polymers from flexible building blocks. ACS Applied Polymer Materials, 2024, 6(13), 7368–7382.

NATRAYAN L, NIVEDITHA V R, KALIAPPAN S, et al. Optimization process of potassium carbonate activated carbon through jute-based core materials by using artificial neural network with response surface methodology. Adsorption Science & Technology, 2023, 2023. https://doi.org/10.1155/2023/8674382

LA D D, KHUAT H B, BUI T T, et al. One-step preparation of activated carbon from polyvinyl chloride-based plastic waste as an effective adsorbent for removal of organic dyes in aqueous solutions. Nano-Structures & Nano-Objects, 2024, 38, 101125.

RAHMADANI N, KURNIAWATI P. Sintesis dan Karakterisasi Karbon Teraktivasi Asam dan Basa Berbasis Mahkota Nanas. In: Prosiding Seminar Nasoinal Kimia dan Pembelajarannya, 5 November 2017; Jurusan Kimia FMIPA UM, 2017: 154–161. https://diploma.chemistry.uii.ac.id/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/Prosiding-SNKP-UM-2017-Puji-Kurniawati.pdf

ALABI-BABALOLA O, ARANSIOLA E, SHITTU T. Adsorption and kinetic study of activated carbon produced from post-consumer low-density polyethylene (LDPE) wastes. Advances in Chemical Engineering and Science, 2021, 11(1), 38–64.

ANITA S, HANIFAH T A, ITNAWITA N, et al. Preparation and characterization of activated carbon from the nipa fruit shell irradiated by microwave: effect temperatures and time of carbonization. Materials Today: Proceedings, 2023, 87, 390–395.

DEWI R, AZHARI A, NOFRIADI I. Aktivasi Karbon Dari Kulit Pinang Dengan Menggunakan Aktivator Kimia KOH. Jurnal Teknologi Kimia Unimal, 2021, 9(2), 12–22.

YAKOUT S M, EL-DEEN G S. Characterization of activated carbon prepared by phosphoric acid activation of olive stones. Arabian Journal of Chemistry, 2011, 9, S1155–S1162.

BADAN STANDARDISASI NASIONAL. Standar Nasional Indonesia Arang Aktif Teknis. SNI 06-3730-1995. ICS 75.160.10. Jakarta, 1995.


Refbacks

  • There are currently no refbacks.