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MIE10-102
Development of Furnace for Producing Activated Carbon
Md. Mahmudur Rahman 1,*, Quazi Hamidul Bari 1
1
Department of Civil Engineering, Khulna University of Engineering & Technology, Khulna-9203, BANGLADESH
ABSTRACT
Activated carbon is widely used for the treatment of water and wastewater. This is an amorphous form of carbon with a
large surface area. Activated carbon mainly produced in laboratory using muffle furnace. This method is expensive for
commercial production. A low cost furnace with ease in operation and maintenance was fabricated. This furnace is able to
gain enough temperature for production of activated carbon. Three types of furnace were prepared. The types were designed
according to the amount of input materials. Sufficient amount of activated carbon were produced in Type A and B furnaces.
The productions of activated carbon from different furnaces were found to be 48%, 76% and 35% of total input materials
respectively. The production cost of activated carbon produced in Type A, B and C furnaces were about 500/=, 40/=, 35/=
taka per kg. The adsorption capacity of produced activated carbon was larger than commercially available activated carbon.
2. Fabrication of Furnace
MIE10-102- 2
cover of the furnace was closed and also sealed with in the Type A furnace was found 128 gm which was
clay. The fuel was placed on the grit and start burning. 57% of the input raw material.
When the process going on the smoke produced in the
furnace was enter the pot through the bottom side 5.2 Characteristics of prepared activated carbon
opening and passes out through the top side opening
which was connected with furnace vent line. This The ash content of prepared activated carbon in Type A,
heated air and the produced heat was used for preparing Type B and Type C were 56%, 42% and 58%
activated carbon. The smoke came out from the furnace respectively. Where as the ash content of chemically
was also observed. Initially the smoke color was black. activated carbon prepared in Type A furnace was 43%.
The furnace was fueled until the black smoke turned
into white smoke. When the smoke color turn into 5.3 Adsorption studies
white, all the openings were sealed with clay. The outlet
temperature was observed as 86o C when white smoke The adsorption studies were carried out to study the
came out. Then the sealed furnace kept for 24 hours and adsorption isotherm. In this experiment, Tea water,
opened to bring out the prepared activated carbon. solutions were prepared. 100 mL solution was placed in
250 mL conical flask with adsorbent dose of 5 g L-1.
In type C furnace (Figure 3), first the small drum was The contents were shaken in orbital shaker for 1 h to
filled with raw material. The capacity of the drum was attain equilibrium condition. After equilibrium the
around 14 kg. Then the top of the drum was closed and contents of the each bottle were filtered through
sealed with clay. Next the drum was placed in the Whatman No. 1 filter paper and analyzed the color
furnace. Then the cover of the furnace was closed and reduction. The above set of experiments was repeated
also sealed with clay. The fuel was placed on the grit for Diphenol Purple, Bromo Cresol purple, commercial
and start burning. When the process going on the smoke red and blue solutions.
produced in the furnace was enter the pot through the
bottom side opening and passes out through the top side Table 1: % of color reduction on different solution
opening which was connected with furnace vent line. Name of solution Prepared Locally available
This heated air and the produced heat was used for Activated Activated carbon
preparing activated carbon. A digital thermometer was Carbon (%) (%)
placed inside the pot to record the inside temperature. Tea water 43.27 35.00
The furnace was fueled until the furnace temperature Diphenol Purple 66.15 32.03
reached above 500o C and maintained the furnace Bromo Cresol purple 43.67 9.68
temperature above 500o C. The smoke came out from Commercial Red 59.34 5.84
the furnace was also observed. Initially the smoke color Commercial blue 94.59 85.65
was black. When the smoke color turned into white, all
the openings were sealed with clay. The outlet 5.4 Contact time study
temperature was observed as 94o C when white smoke
came out. Then the sealed furnace kept for 48 hours and This was carried out to determine the rate of color
opened to bring out the prepared activated carbon. reduction of prepared activated carbon and locally
available activated carbon.
The activated carbon was prepared in each type of
furnaces several times in different condition. One batch
of chemically activated carbon was prepared in Type A
furnace.
MIE10-102- 3
absorbrd only 12% color. Another observation is that, [6] A. H. Abdullah, A. Kassim, Z. Zainal, M.Z.
upto 90 minutes the prepared activated carbon absorbed Hossain, D. Kuang, F. Ahmed, O.S. Wooi,
color rapidly and after 90 minutes the adsorption rate Preparation and Characterization of Activated
become slow. Carbon from Gelam Wood Bark (Melauca
cajuputi), Malaysian Journal of Analytical
Sciences, Vol. 7 (1), pp 65-68 (2001).
6. Conclusion
REFERENCES
[1] H. Marsh, Activated carbon compendium: A
collection of papers from the journal carbon 1996–
2000. Amsterdam: Elsevier, (2001).
[2] C. Moreno-Castilla, Adsorption of organic
molecules from aqueous solutions on carbon
materials. Carbon,Vol. 42, pp 83-93 (2004).
[3] D.F. Aloko, G.A. Adebayo, Production and
Characterization of Activated Carbon from
Agricultural Waste (Rice-husk and Corn-cob),
Journal of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Vol.
2(2), pp 440-444 (2007).
[4] A. H. Mahvi, A. Maleki, A. Eslami, Potential of
Rice Husk and Rice Husk Ash for Phenol Removal
in Aqueous Systems, American Journal of Applied
Sciences, Vol. 1(4), pp 321-326 (2004).
[5] K. Kermani, H. Pourmoghaddas, B. Bina, Z.
Khazaei, Removal of Phenol from Aqueous
Solutions by Rice Husk Ash and Activated Carbon,
Pakistan Journal of Biological Sciences, Vol.
9(10), pp 1905-1910 (2006).
MIE10-102- 4