1.

INTRODUCTION

Activated Charcoal

Activated charcoal, also called activated carbon, is a form of carbonprocessed to have small, low-volume
pores that increase the surfaceareaavailable for adsorption or chemical reactions. Activated issometimes
substituted with active.Due to its high degree of microporosity, one gram of Activated charcoal has
asurface area in excess of 3,000 m2 (32,000 sq ft)as determined bygas adsorption. An activation level
sufficient for useful applicationmay be obtained solely from high surface area. Further chemical
treatmentoften enhances adsorption properties.

Coconut Shell Charcoal is one of another valuable resource which can create out of this magical tree.
Coconut Shell Charcoal widely used as efficient industrial fuel and it’s also uses for laundries and
Blacksmithing and goldsmiths where high rate of head is requir3ed. Apart for industrial fuel uses coconut
shell Charcoal are also used to produce activated carbon which got so many industrial and beauty
applications. Coconut Shell Charcoal is also best known for cooking fuel and most of chefs use coconut
charcoal as a fuel due to its pleasant smell. Since Coconut Shell Charcoal got the capacity to absorb
molecular species it’s widely use for purification purposes also.

Coconut Shell Charcoal is created by burning the coconut shells of limited air supply and it get
carbonizations. After the coconut shell gets heated it reduced 70% of its weight. Coconut Shell charcoal
produced by using two methods called drum method and pit method. Fully dried and good mature coconut
shells get the high quality of coconut charcoal. Excellent Coconut Shell raw material source to
manufacture great quality of activated carbon. Coconut Charcoal use for heating and cooking purposes are
environmentally friendly and you can get clean burn form it. The smell of coconut shell charcoal is neutral
and pleasant so this may use for barbecue and grilling purpose also.

Coconut Shell Charcoal are used in a variety of applications including food, and health and beauty
products as I mentioned earlier and its can be mixed with water and used to brush and whiten teeth. This is
a proven method to whiten your teeth very quick and easy manner with greater cost effectiveness. Coconut
Shell Charcoal mixed with thickening agents to make jells and skin creams, and taken internally for
various health conditions in beauty applications. So Coconut Shell charcoal is another by-product of the
coconut tree which got lots and lot of uses and benefits.

Activated charcoal is usually derived from charcoal and is sometimes used asbiochar. When derived from
coal or corn it is referred to as activated coal. Activated coke is derived from coke.

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2. Use of Coconut Shells

Coconut shell is the strongest part covered in coconut fruit. Coconut shell is located in between the coconut
flesh and coconut husk. This shell is naturally created to protect the inner part of coconut. This is shell is
use to produce various handicraft applies and other applications. Most of handmade decorative are created
by using coconut shell due to their strength.Coconut shells are also used to made charcoal which is use as
fuel and this coconut charcoals are far better than other charcoals. Coconut shell charcoal is widely used to
produce active carbon. Normally active carbon is known as the charcoal which has treated with oxygen’s.
Active carbon is use widely for removing impurities. This coconut shell charcoals are widely used in
purification industry and other industries which active carbon are used.

Most of South Asian and Pacific countries where coconut grows create various handicrafts out of coconut
shells. The strong form of this shell is ideal to create handicrafts and these handicrafts keep for longer time
period due to the strength of coconut shell. There is a huge demand for these types of natural handicraft in
all over the world.

There is various method uses to produce active carbon and coconut shell produce the top grade active
carbon charcoal which got great performances. There are lots of coconut shells need to produce 1 kg of
active carbon but the charcoal created from coconut shell are much clean and good in quality compare to
other charcoals productions. Coconut shell based active carbon production got great demand due to its high
quality and there are various plants produce this active carbon from coconut shell in Sri Lanka, India and
other Pacific countries where the coconut trees are available.

Figure-01

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 2.1Coconut shell charcoal:

Coconut shell charcoal is used abundantly as a domestic and industrial fuel. It is the only main ingredient
that is used to produce activated carbon. This activated carbon is much superior to other variants obtained
from other sources like wood. Since it is easily available compared to other forms of coal, it is widely used
in laundries as well. Blacksmiths and goldsmiths also prefer this charcoal due to its benefits. It is obtained
by burning the coconut shells with limited air for carbonization. The heat that is generated in this process is
used for drying copra. Shell charcoal is obtained easily by using the drum method which is used in several
small scale industries.

2.2Coconut shell activated carbon:

It is one of the most wonderful gifts from nature and the best form of activated carbon that has loads of
benefits. Since it is 100% natural, it is completely safe. It is obtained by various processes that involve
burning the shells of matured coconuts in a kiln with a limited amount of air. The shells are burnt to a
particular limit without completely destroying them. Over 50,000 coconut shells are required to produce
about 1 Ton of coconut charcoal. They are burnt to a consistency that it has a minimum of 72% fixed
carbon and it is uniformly black in colour. It has no additives and it is made only from one ingredient
which is the matured coconut shell. It can be used for a variety of purposes from manufacturing medicines
to barbecue grills. It is used in the manufacturing of soaps and toothpaste. It has enormous adsorbing
properties and therefore it is used as a food supplement in both animals and humans to promote good
health and immunity. It is all natural and therefore it is used in grilling food items. It lights up faster and
the temperature can be adjusted easily as per the requirements. It also burns hotter than a regular briquette
and therefore it is energy saving and efficient. It produces only very little ash after burning and does not
cause pollution. A whole lot of eco-friendly uses have made it preferable in many industries like
manufacturing of air and water purifiers, odour eliminators and even building golf courses.

2.3Coconut shell powder:

Coconut shell powder is used extensively in the manufacturing of mosquito coils and incense sticks. It is
also used in plywood manufacturing as a phenolic extruder and as filler in the manufacturing of resin glue.
It has uniform quality and good resistance to water and fungal attacks. Good quality coconut shell powder
is obtained by using matured coconut shells and appropriate machinery.

3. Manufacturing of Activated Charcoal

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Coconut shells as an important raw material are widely used for making charcoal in the world, in particular
inthe developing countries such as India, Malaysia etc. In turn, coconut shell charcoal is used in many
fields byreason of its advantages and important features. For instance, coconut shell charcoal could be
powdered andused for making granular Activated charcoal. It also could be used by goldsmiths,
blacksmiths and in laundries.

What is more, coconut shell charcoal is recognized as one of the best fuels for cooking because of its
pleasantsmell.There are many methods of coconut shell charcoal production, but the drum method and pit
method are themost widespread. In general, shell charcoal is made by burning coconut shells in a limited
supply of oxygen. Itis important to know that oxygen could destroy shells if the air will not be limited. It
should be used clean, fullydried and mature shells in order to get high quality charcoal.

3.1The Drum method of making coconut shell charcoal

The drum kiln is one of the most widespread methods of coconut shell carbonization. It has 3 sets which
consist of 6 holes, middle and upper layers and a lid. The drum also includes a chimney which is placed on
the lid of the drum. Optimum carbonization of shell in a limited supply of oxygen provides good quality
charcoal.

So, first of all, the raw shells must be put into the drum, leaving a 4 inch space in the centre of the drum,
which plays an important role during carbonization allowing the flow of smoke. To start carbonization, a
fire should be started in the middle of the circle using a piece of a coconut shell. Then, all the free space in
the drum should be filled with raw materials. When the flames flare up, the chimney and the lid should be
attached. The middle and the upper sets must be closed. When some of shells shrink to the bottom, more
coconut shells should be added up to the brim of the drum. It is done to fіll thе volume rеductіоn
tоmaximizecapacityforburning. The process of carbonization begins at the bottom of the drum and goes up.
When the carbonization is finished, it can be seen a glow in the 6 holes of a set of the particular zone.
When the holes of the bottom zone indicate this glow it means that the bottom set is closed, while the
middle set is opened. When the carbonization in the middle zone is completed, its holes are closed and the
bottom holes are opened. Сlosing of the top set of the holes after the full carbonization in the top region
stops the airflow into the drum. The charcoal could be gotten and packed after about 8 hours when the
drum is cooled. It is important to check if the drum is completely cooled as little fire inside could rekindle

4
the charcoal and burn it to ashes. In general, using drum method 30 thousand of coconut shells are needed
to produce 1 ton of coconut shell charcoal.

3.2Coconut shell charcoal briquette manufacture (Carbonization Method)

The processing of coconut shell charcoal briquettes includes the carbonization of the coconut shells first
and then crushing it to the powder, allowing to manufacture different shape and size charcoal briquettes.
For this purpose the charcoal drum or stove and the charcoal powder making machine are used. The drum
or the stove should maintain the temperature of 500 - 900 °F.

There are some advantages of using coconut shell charcoal briquettes. Firstly, it is completely eco-friendly
product, which is produced from sustainable natural resources. The ash content of the coconut shells is
around 0.6% and the lignin is about 36.5%, what helps to turn the shell into briquettes fairly easily. As a
result less ash is produced to the environment during burning. In addition, these briquettes are very safe to
use and easy to ignite. The coconut shell charcoal briquettes do not emit any toxic gases, so it is safe to use
it for outdoor cooking as well. In general, because of its high level of calorific value the briquettes can be
used in food and metallurgy industries, as stove fuel etc.

So, coconut shells are good raw materials to produce coconut shell charcoal. The process of converting
shells to charcoal includes removing all the moisture from the raw material in a limited supply of air. It
requires a special charcoal drum to carbonize the coconut shells and produce high quality charcoal. The
coconut shell charcoal is widely used in food and metallurgy industries. It is also an excellent raw material
source to manufacture Activated charcoal etc.

3.4Brick Kiln method for making charcoal fromCoconut shells.

Coconut (Cocos nucifera) remains to be the top cultivated crop in thePhilippines. Out of the 12 million
hectares of farmlands in thecountry, 3.1 million hectares of it is devoted to coconut production.With the
vast size of farmland devoted to coconut farming, it can besaid that a large percentage of the country’s
population still dependson coconut for their living.

3.4.1 What are Kilns?

A kiln is a thermally insulated chamber used to harden, burn or drymaterials, it could be utilized in drying
and heating wood to produceware wood and charcoal, or in ring-materials used in ceramic-making.

3.4.2 Traditional Means

Kilns were first utilized in Bago Oshiro, Davao City under thePhilippine-German Coconut Project (PGCP)
in 1995.In the Philippines, charcoals are traditionally produced using drumkilns where a standard oil drum
5
with an approximate capacity of 55gallons is used. With the use of a drum kiln, charcoals can beproduced
from 600 pieces of split coconut shells. However, charcoalworkers encountered problems with regards to
the operation,durability and effciency of the drum kiln.

3.4.3 The Charcoal Brick Kiln

The batch type brick kiln was fabricated as an alternative to thetraditional methods of charcoal production
and to ease theoperations in charcoal making of the charcoal workers. The brick kiln is made of 2″ x 4″ x
8″ standard rectangular bricks,constructed in a dome-shape. The kiln’s dome structure is for thepurpose of
optimal carbonization process. Its inside has a basediameter of 1.2 meters and a net height of 1.10 meters
with anapproximate volume of 0.73 cubic meters. This prototype kiln canaccommodate approximately
3,000 pieces ofaverage split shells. Thiscould be increased if the shells are semi-crushed.The charcoals
produced by the kiln from the coco shell wood passedthe standard of a good quality charcoal which
possesses a fixedcarbon content of 86.5%, ash of 1.4%, volatile combustible matter of9.6% and 2.5%
moisture content.
The charcoal brick kiln is expected to last for five years or more withan initial investment of PhP 4,100
while the drum kiln has aserviceable life span of six months to one year, with each drumcosting PhP 500.

3.4.4 User-Friendly
One problem encountered bythe charcoal workers with the drum kiln is its difficulty to operate.Since
metals are strong conductors of heat, the drum kiln becomesdifficult to handle as it turns very hot during
the process.Moreover, the smoke being emitted underthe drum becomes anuisance to the workers. As such,
the brick kiln was designed to beuser- friendly.Bricks being resistors of heat makes the charcoal brick kiln
easier tooperate. Thekiln was also designed in such a way that it will suppressthe heat pressure inside and
prevent it form leaking outside the kiln.In this way, the kiln will be convenient for the operators as they
willno longer have trouble with the heat coming from thekiln. Also, thesmoke coming from the kiln not be
a problem for the workers since a‘nose’ for the emission of smoke is included in the structure which
isstrategically placed at the top of the kiln. This way, it will be easier forthe operators to recharge the kilns.

4. Steps Involving in making of Charcoal from Coconut Shell

PREPARATION

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 First - You need to gather all the coconuts ( ready to harvest) in one place.It's easy to do the job when
they are gathered together.
 Second - Husk all the coconut; separate the husk and the whole coconut shell unbroken.
 Third - Break the whole coconut shell in the middle ( put it all together in one place).
Take out the white thing or the meat (Copra) using some tools.(There is water inside the coconut when
you break it...Find a place far from fruits it makes the fruit wither when it absorbs too much water
from the coconut)

 Forth - Let the empty coconut shell under the sun from 1 to 2 days.( To make it dry - the drier the
coconut shell is the better result of charcoal).

MAKING THE CHARCOAL(5 to 6 hours or let the charcoal inside the Drum overnight) Things Needed: -
Empty 55 gallon Metal Gasoline Drum (without top lid) - Coconut shells - Match –Covering (Fresh banana
bark - flattened (10 -15 pieces), Heavy things ( Rock, pile of woods, etc.)

 Step 1 - Put the Drum in a flat surface or to make it safer you can make a round hole, 1 ft deep, bury
the bottom part of the drum with lid and cover it with soil.
 Step 2 - File the coconut shells (one is on the top of another) in circle form up to the brim of the drum
leaving a small space in the middle of the circle.
 Step 3 - Take a piece of a coconut shell and make a fire and put it in the middle of the circle on the
file.Wait for how many minutes till the fire kindled the other coconut shells below...Then, drop or add
some coconut shells in the middle of the circle where you started the fire, slowly and make sure that the
fire ignition below will not stop. Fill all the space in the drum up to the brim or 1 ft higher.
 Step 4 - Let the fire inside continue but don't to check your drum every now and then by pressing
coconut shells slowly. Some of shells will shrinks to the bottom and add more coconut shell up to the
brim. (Note: Don't force the coconut shells too hard to shrink. When you can't press it anymore, it
means that you are almost done.You will know if you're almost done because the ember goes
higher.When it's almost or up to the brim, proceed to next step.
 Step 5 - Take your flattened banana bark and file it on the top on the drum to cover it. You can file it
accordingly and to the top of each other.Make sure that there is no air from inside or smoke will come
out from inside.Put a heavy thing at the top of the banana bark files. Make sure that the drum is sealed
using those banana bark, otherwise your charcoal will turn all into ashes.
 Step 6 - To know if its ready, you can check your drum the next day by touching the body of the drum
if it’s cold. (Usually, It's always cold and ready to be open after the next day. Note: Make sure that the
fire is already dead inside the Drum. Little fire remains will rekindled the things inside and makes your
charcoal turn into ashes. So, before opening the drum, make sure that its cold and the fire are dead.)
When it's ready just open the drum (by taking off all those banana bark, and you can use the banana
leaves,arrange it in the ground and you can put your charcoal in there and pack it in the sack or plastic
ready to sell).

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5. Classification
Activated charcoals are complex products which are difficult to classify on the basis of their behaviour,
surfacecharacteristics and other fundamental criteria. However, some broad classification is made for
general purpose basedon their size, preparation methods, and industrial applications.

5.1Powdered Activated charcoal

Normally, Activated charcoals (R 1) are made in particulate form aspowders or fine granules less than 1.0
mm in size with an averagediameter between 0.15 and 0.25 mm. Thus they present a largesurface to
volume ratio with a small diffusion distance. Activatedcarbon (R 1) is defined as the Activated charcoal
particles retainedon a 50-mesh sieve (0.297 mm).PAC material is finer material. PAC is made up of
crushed orground carbon particles, 95–100% of which will pass through adesignated mesh sieve. The
ASTM classifies particles passingthrough an 80-mesh sieve (0.177 mm) and smaller as PAC. It isnot
common to use PAC in a dedicated vessel, due to the highhead loss that would occur. Instead, PAC is
generally addeddirectly to other process units, such as raw water intakes, rapidmix basins, clarifiers, and
gravity filters.

Figure-02

5.2Granular Activated charcoal

Granular Activated charcoal (GAC) has a relatively larger particlesize compared to powdered Activated
charcoal and consequently,presents a smaller external surface. Diffusion of the adsorbate isthus an
important factor. These carbons are suitable foradsorption of gases and vapors, because they diffuse
rapidly.A granulated carbon is used for water treatment, deodorization and separation of components of
flow system and is also used inrapid mix basins. GAC can be either in granular or extrudedform. GAC is
designated by sizes such as 8×20, 20×40, or 8×30for liquid phase applications and 4×6, 4×8 or 4×10 for

8
vaporphase applications. A 20×40 carbon is made of particles that willpass through a U.S. Standard Mesh

Figure-03

5.3Extruded Activated charcoal

Extruded Activated charcoal (EAC) combines powdered Activated charcoal with a binder, which are fused
together andextruded into a cylindrical shaped Activated charcoal block with diameters from 0.8 to 130
mm. These are mainly usedfor gas phase applications because of their low pressure drop, high mechanical
strength and low dust content. Also soldas CTO filter (Chlorine, Taste, Odor).

Figure-04

5.4Bead Activated charcoal (BAC)

Bead Activated charcoal (BAC) is made from petroleum pitch and supplied in diameters from
approximately 0.35 to0.80 mm. Similar to EAC, it is also noted for its low pressure drop, high mechanical
strength and low dust content, butwith a smaller grain size. Its spherical shape makes it preferred for
fluidized bed applications such as water filtration.

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 Figure-05

5.5Polymer coated carbon

This is a process by which a porous carbon can be coated with a biocompatible polymer to give a smooth
andpermeable coat without blocking the pores. The resulting carbon is useful for hemoperfusion.
Hemoperfusion is atreatment technique in which large volumes of the patient's blood are passed over an
adsorbent substance in order toremove toxic substances from the blood.

Figure-06

6. Uses Charcoal and Activated Charcoal

Activated charcoal is used in methane and hydrogen storage,air purification, decaffeination, gold
purification, metalextraction, water purification, medicine, sewage treatment, air filters in gas masks and
respirators, filters incompressed air, teeth whitening, and many other applications.

6.1Industrial Application
One major industrial application involves use of Activated charcoal in metal finishing for purification of
electroplatingsolutions. For example, it is a main purification technique for removing organic impurities

10
from bright nickel platingsolutions. A variety of organic chemicals are added to plating solutions for
improving their deposit qualities and forenhancing properties like brightness, smoothness, ductility, etc.
Due to passage of direct current and electrolyticreactions of anodic oxidation and cathodic reduction,
organic additives generate unwanted breakdown products insolution. Their excessive build up can
adversely affect plating quality and physical properties of deposited metal.Activated charcoal treatment
removes such impurities and restores plating performance to the desired level.

6.2Medical uses
Activated charcoal is used to treat poisonings and overdoses following oral ingestion. Tablets or capsules
of activatedcarbon are used in many countries as an over-the-counter drug to treat diarrhea, indigestion,
and flatulence.However, it is ineffective for a number of poisonings including strong acids or alkali,
cyanide, iron, lithium, arsenic,methanol, ethanol or ethylene glycol.Incorrect application (e.g. into the
lungs) results in pulmonary aspiration, which can sometimes be fatal if immediatemedical treatment is not
initiated.

6.2.1 Kidney health

Activated charcoal may be able to assist kidney function by filtering out undigested toxins
and drugs. Activated charcoal seems to be especially effective at removing toxins derived from urea, the
main byproduct of protein digestion. More research is needed, but some animal studies show that
activated charcoal may help improve kidney function and reduce gastrointestinal damage and
inflammation in those with chronic kidney disease.

6.2.2 Intestinal gas

Activated charcoal powder is thought to be able to disrupt intestinal gas, although researchers still do not
understand how researchers still do not understand how. Liquids and gases trapped in the intestine can
easily pass through the millions of tiny holes in activated charcoal, and this process may neutralize them.

6.2.3 Diarrhea

Given its use as a gastrointestinal absorbent in overdoses and poisonings, it follows thatsome people
might propose activatedcharcoal as a treatment for diarrhea.

6.2.4 Skin care

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 Researchers have reported that activated charcoal can help draw microparticles, such as dirt, dust,
chemicals, toxins, and bacteria, to the surface of the skin, to make removing them easier.

6.3 Analytical chemistry applications

Activated charcoal, in 50% w/w combination with celite, is used as stationary phasein low-pressure
chromatographic separation of carbohydrates (mono-, ditrisaccharides)using ethanol solutions (5–50%) as
mobile phase in analytical orpreparative protocols.

6.4 Environmental applications

Carbon adsorption has numerous applications in removing pollutants from air orwater streams both in the
field and in industrial processes such as:

 Spill cleanup
 Groundwater remediation
 Drinking water filtration
 Air purification

Volatile organic compounds capture from painting, dry cleaning, gasolinedispensing operations, and other
processes.During early implementation of the 1974 Safe Drinking Water Act in the US, EPAofficials
developed a rule that proposed requiring drinking water treatment systemsto use granular Activated
charcoal. Because of its high cost, the so-called GAC ruleencountered strong opposition across the country
from the water supply industry,including the largest water utilities in California. Hence, the agency set
aside therule.Activated charcoal filtration is an effective water treatment method due to itsmulti-functional
nature. There are specific types of Activated charcoalfiltration methods and equipment that are indicated –
depending upon the contaminants involved.Activated charcoal is also used for the measurement of radon
concentrationin air.

6.5 Agriculture uses

Activated charcoal (charcoal) is an allowed substance used by organicfarmers in both livestock production
and wine making. In livestockproduction it is used as a pesticide, animal feed additive, processing
aid,nonagricultural ingredient and disinfectant.In organic winemaking,Activated charcoal is allowed for
use as a processing agent to adsorb browncolor pigments from white grape concentrates.

6.6 Distilled alcoholic beverage purification

Activated charcoal filters (AC filters) can be used to filter vodka and whiskeyof organic impurities which
can affect color, taste, and odor. Passing organically impure vodka through an Activated charcoal filter at

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the properflow rate will result in vodka with an identical alcohol content andsignificantly increased organic
purity, as judged by odor and taste.

6.7 Gas purification

Filters with Activated charcoal are usually used in compressed air and gas purification to remove oil
vapors, odor, andother hydrocarbons from the air. The most common designs use a 1-stage or 2 stage
filtration principle in whichActivated charcoal is embedded inside the filter media.Activated charcoal is
also used in spacesuit Primary Life Support Systems.Activated charcoal filters are used to retain
radioactive gases within the air vacuumed from a nuclear boiling waterreactor turbine condenser. The large
charcoal beds adsorb these gases and retain them while they rapidly decay to nonradioactivesolid species.
The solids are trapped in the charcoal particles, while the filtered air passes through.

6.8 Chemical purification

Activated charcoal is commonly used on the laboratory scale to purify solutions of organic molecules
containingunwanted colored organic impurities.Filtration over Activated charcoal is used in large scale fine
chemical and pharmaceutical processes for the samepurpose. The carbon is either mixed with the solution
then filtered off or immobilized in a filter.

7. Properties of Activated Charcoal

7.1Iodine number

Many carbons preferentially adsorb small molecules. Iodine number is the most fundamental parameter
used tocharacterize Activated charcoal performance. It is a measure of activity level (higher number
indicates higher degree ofactivation,) often reported in mg/g (typical range 500–1200 mg/g). It is a
measure of the micropore content of theActivated charcoal (0 to 20 Å, or up to 2 nm) by adsorption of
iodine from solution. It is equivalent to surface area ofcarbon between 900 and 1100 m2/g. It is the
standard measure for liquid-phase applications.

Iodine number is defined as the milligrams of iodine adsorbed by one gram of carbon when the iodine
concentration inthe residual filtrate is at a concentration of 0.02 normal (i.e. 0.02N). Basically, iodine
number is a measure of theiodine adsorbed in the pores and, as such, is an indication of the pore volume
available in the Activated charcoal ofinterest. Typically, water-treatment carbons have iodine numbers
ranging from 600 to 1100. Frequently, thisparameter is used to determine the degree of exhaustion of a
carbon in use. However, this practice should be viewedwith caution, as chemical interactions with the
adsorbate may affect the iodine uptake, giving false results. Thus, theuse of iodine number as a measure of
the degree of exhaustion of a carbon bed can only be recommended if it has beenshown to be free of

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chemical interactions with adsorbates and if an experimental correlation between iodine numberand the
degree of exhaustion has been determined for the particular application.

7.2Molasses
Some carbons are more adept at adsorbing large molecules. Molasses number or molasses efficiency is a
measure ofthe mesopore content of the Activated charcoal (greater than 20 Å, or larger than 2 nm) by
adsorption of molasses fromsolution. A high molasses number indicates a high adsorption of big molecules
(range 95–600). Caramel dp(decolorizing performance) is similar to molasses number. Molasses efficiency
is reported as a percentage (range40%–185%) and parallels molasses number (600 = 185%, 425 = 85%).
The European molasses number (range525–110) is inversely related to the North American molasses
number.Molasses Number is a measure of the degree of decolorization of a standard molasses solution that
has been dilutedand standardized against standardized Activated charcoal. Due to the size of color bodies,
the molasses numberrepresents the potential pore volume available for larger adsorbing species. As all of
the pore volume may not beavailable for adsorption in a particular waste water application, and as some of
the adsorbate may enter smaller pores,it is not a good measure of the worth of a particular Activated
charcoal for a specific application. Frequently, thisparameter is useful in evaluating a series of active
carbons for their rates of adsorption. Given two active carbons withsimilar pore volumes for adsorption,
the one having the higher molasses number will usually have larger feeder poresresulting in more efficient
transfer of adsorbate into the adsorption space.

7.3Tannin

Tannins are a mixture of large and medium size molecules. Carbons with a combination of macropores and
mesoporesadsorb tannins. The ability of a carbon to adsorb tannins is reported in parts per million
concentration (range 200ppm–362 ppm).

7.4Dechlorination
Some carbons are evaluated based on the dechlorination half-life length, which measures the chlorine-
removalefficiency of Activated charcoal. The dechlorination half-value length is the depth of carbon
required to reduce thechlorine level of a flowing stream from 5 ppm to 3.5 ppm. A lower half-value length
indicates superior performance.

7.5Apparent density
The solid or skeletal density of Activated charcoals will typically range between 2000 and 2100
kg/m3(125–130 lbs./cubic foot). However, a large part of an Activated charcoal sample will consist of air
space betweenparticles, and the actual or apparent density will therefore be lower, typically 400 to 500
kg/m3 (25–31 lbs./cubicfoot).
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Higher density provides greater volume activity and normally indicates better-quality Activated charcoal.
ASTM D 2854-09 (2014) is used to determine the apparent density of Activated charcoal.

7.6Hardness/abrasion number
It is a measure of the Activated charcoal’s resistance to attrition. It is an important indicator of Activated
charcoal tomaintain its physical integrity and withstand frictional forces. There are large differences in the
hardness of activatedcarbons, depending on the raw material and activity levels.

7.7Ash content
Ash reduces the overall activity of Activated charcoal and reduces the efficiency of reactivation. The metal
oxides (Fe2O3)can leach out of Activated charcoal resulting in discoloration. Acid/water-soluble ash
content is more significant thantotal ash content. Soluble ash content can be very important for aquarists,
as ferric oxide can promote algal growths. Acarbon with a low soluble ash content should be used for
marine, freshwater fish and reef tanks to avoid heavy metalpoisoning and excess plant/algal growth.
Standard method D 2866-2011 is used to determine the ash content ofActivated charcoal.

7.8Carbon tetrachloride activity

Measurement of the porosity of an Activated charcoal by the adsorption of saturated carbon tetrachloride
vapour.

8. Literature Review

Laura Ryan et. al. (2018)Coconut shell is an important raw material used to producecharcoalbriquette.
And coconutshell charcoal have wide applications in many fields because of its features and advantages.
InMalaysia, coconut is the fourth important industrial crop after oil palm, rubber andpaddy interms of total
planted area and it is an important export country of coconut products. Due toitshigh carbon content and
hardness, coconut shells are an excellent raw material source toproduce activated carbon. Activated carbon
manufactured from coconut shell is consideredsuperior to those obtained from other sources. They
typically have a tighter, more microporouspore structure and tend to be harder, more resistant to abrasion
and lower in ash than similargrades of coal-based carbons.

Gratuito MK et. al. (2007)The production of activated carbon from coconut shell treated with
phosphoric acid (H3PO4) wasoptimized using the response surface methodology (RSM). Fifteen
combinations of the threevariables namely; impregnation ratio (1, 1.5, and 2); activation time (10, 20, and
30 min); andactivation temperature (400, 450, and 500 degrees C) were optimized based on the
responsesevaluated (yield, bulk density, average pore diameter, small pore diameter, and number of pores
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in aunit area). Pore diameters were directly measured from scanning electron microscope (SEM)images.
Individual second-order response surface models were developed and contour plots weregenerated for the
optimization analysis.

Yulian Zhang et. al. (2014) Coconut shell activated carbon (CSAC) granules were used as carriers to
immobilize palladiumcomplexes. Boehm titration showed that the hydroxyl content of the carbon surface
reached 0.376mmol g after 20% HNO treatment. Ethylenediamine, benzyl malononitrile and propyl
malononitrilewere successfully grafted onto the oxidized CSAC. The bidentate nitrogen ligands complexed
Pdsamples were characterized by FT-IR, XPS, ICP and N adsorption–desorption. In oxidativecarbonylation
of phenol, three bidentate ligand grafted catalysts were evaluated in a high pressurereaction vessel. The
results showed that the ethylenediamine grafted catalyst had a phenolconversion of 12.06% and a diphenyl
carbonate (DPC) selectivity of 91.03%. In comparison, the benzylmalononitrile grafted catalyst displayed a
phenol conversion of 12.00% and a DPC selectivity of90.65%. The propyl malononitrile grafted catalyst
displayed a phenol conversion of 6.22% and a DPCselectivity of 81.02%.

Arlene Joaquin et. al. (2015)Activated carbon is produced mainly from coconut shell that is highly
available in the region of Dhofar, Sultanate of Oman. Thematerial is activated using chemical activation
process which comprises the following activation agents; calcium chloride, sodium chloride and zinc
chloride. The product form into a powder, in a specified particle size of 250 microns. The shell-based
activated carbon is used for purification of three water samples; fog water, ground water and potable water.
Activated carbon prepared from coconut shell has been found to be effective for the removal of salts in
various water samples. Also the effectiveness varies on the type of activating agent. The activated carbon
prepared from zinc chloride has the highest capacity of salts removal and the activated carbon from
calcium chloride has the lowest capacity of salts removal. The study also confirmed that the activated
carbon prepared could also be used for decolorization of liquid.

JORGE LAINE et.al. (2007)Activated carbons were prepared at 800°C in a small scale rotary kiln
fed either withfresh or precarbonized coconut shell, employing a mixture of steam and air,
flowingcocurrently. Typical product rates obtained were 0.2 and 0.6g/min for fresh andprecarbonized shell
respectively. Product surface area increased with increasing waterinput concentration from about 0.5 to 5 g
H O/g feed, resulting in values up to aboutl,400m /g. The use of N instead of air during activation did not
significantly changeproduct surface area.

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Ivy Chen et. al. (2017)The activated carbon is used widely in industry forsomething more important
like chemical niche, smelting etc. Activated carbon offers coconutshell charcoal because the major
ingredient in it. First thing so you need to understand could bethe industry importance of coconut shell
carbon thereby the necessity to have the coconut shellcharcoal making machine. There are numerous issues
that you should know about this machinethat creates coconut shell charcoal.

9. Conclusion

As the demand for inexpensive agricultural products continues to increase along with the growing global
population, the use of pesticides, herbicides, and fertilizers to increase the productivity of agricultural
lands has also increased. In the developing world, where regulations are not strictly enforced, impoverished
communities near these agricultural activities have suffered from pesticide, herbicide, and fertilizer-based
contaminants leaching into their water supplies. POU water treatment applications have given many regions the
opportunity and ability to treat their drinking water and reduce the health-related issues caused by biological
and physical contaminants in their raw water sources. However, dissolved organic chemical contaminants
will often pass right through the common POU treatment options currently available. Through our testing in
Bluefields, it was shown that chemical contaminants produced from pesticide and herbicide-laden runoff could
be potentially removed using activated carbon. The production of activated carbon could be adapted to almost any
environment by using local agricultural waste byproducts and NaCI, an inexpensive and accessible chemical.
Lastly, we determined that this treatment system could be coupled with the existing water filtration system to
act as a dual media filter to provide the greatest degree of treatment.

Further testing prior to future field-scale use of the NaCI-activated carbon is recommended to extend our
observations and conclusions to other contaminants. In addition, testing for other available agricultural waste
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byproducts as a raw carbon source for activated carbon production should be investigated as coconut shells will
not be available in all locations. Lastly, as polluted waters may contain multiple organic impurities, field-testing
these systems with actual source waters should be conducted to characterize the level of competition for
available adsorption sites on the carbon and its effect on the operating life of the material.

Input received from the local population where these upgraded water treatment systems eventually will be
implemented was a critical step in identifying appropriate long-term application technologies. The site
visit was also instrumental in identifying the appropriate, available raw materials to be used. The use of a dye-
based surrogate test material was also verified as both an effective means of quality control in the activated
carbon production process and as a tool in educating the local population as to how this material can assist in
improving the quality of their drinking water. The insights gained from visiting and communicating with the
future users should allow for a more successful implementation of the upgraded systems and devices.

10. Reference

1. www.wikipedia.com
2. www.indeed.in
3. www.gate.chemic.edu
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effluent: Operating parameters and treatment efficiency," Environ. Sci. pollute. Res. DOI 10.
1007/s11356-012-065-z.
5. Latif, A., Noor, S., Sharif, Q. M., and Najeebullah, M. (2010). " Different techniques recently used
for the treatment of textile
6. dyeing effluents: Areview, " J. Chem. Soc. Pak. 32(1), 115-124.
7. Han, Y., Zhang, W., Kan, X., Dong, L., Jiang Z, Li, H., Yang, H., and Chang, R. (2011). " Sorption
of methylene blue by carboxymethyl cellulose and reuse process in a next procedure, " Colloids
and Surface A : Ohysicochem. Eng. Aspects 380, 143-151.
8. Ubbe, M. A., Beck, K. R., ONeal, W . G., and Sharma, Y. Ch. (2012). " Cellulosic substrates for
removal pollutants from a.queous system : A review. 2. Dyes," BioResources 7(2), 2592-2687.

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