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Single step production of activated carbon from microalgae cultivated with urban wastewater

2022; Elsevier BV; Volume: 64; Linguagem: Inglês

10.1016/j.algal.2022.102669

2211-9264

Rodrigo Nunes Oss, Ricardo Franci Gonçalves, Sérvio Túlio Alves Cassini, Miguel A. Schettino, Daniel F. Cipriano, Jair C. C. Freitas,

Biodiesel Production and Applications

The production of activated carbon using as precursor a microalgae biomass produced in a wastewater treatment plant, consisting of an Upflow Anaerobic Sludge Blanket (UASB) reactor, followed by high-rate aerobic ponds, was studied. The harvest of microalgae biomass was carried out through coagulation with Tanfloc®, flocculation and settling. Activated carbon (AC) production was tested at 650 °C and 800 °C, with carbonization and activation performed in a single step, by the physical method with water vapor in different proportions of water mass relative to the sample mass. The specific surface area ranged from 10 to 177 m 2 ·g −1 in samples produced at 650 °C and from 602 to 630 m 2 ·g −1 in the ones produced at 800 °C. It is concluded that the harvested microalgae biomass can be used as a precursor of activated carbon. The best condition tested for the production of AC was carbonization at 800 °C and activation with water vapor in the ratio of 4 g water /g sample . The results prove that the process of carbonization and physical activation can be done with water vapor in a single step and that activated carbons obtained under the highest temperature (>800 °C) are predominantly micro and mesoporous, with a predominantly aromatic structure. • Photobioreactors treating wastewaters produce high amounts of microalgae. • This microalgae biomass is a good precursor of activated carbons. • Carbonization and activation with water vapor at 800 °C can be done in a single step. • The activated carbons are predominantly micro and mesoporous with aromatic structure.