**Meet the editors**

Virginia Hernández Montoya completed her Ph.D. at the Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla, México. Her research interests include the preparation and characterization of carbonaceous adsorbents and their application in the removal of pollutants from water and air. Dr. Hernández-Montoya has published several papers in International Journals and she has participated

in International Conferences, Symposiums and Congress. Actually, Dr. Hernández-Montoya is Professor in the Department of Chemical Engineering of Instituto Tecnológico de Aguascalientes (México) and she collaborates with national and international research groups.

Adrián Bonilla-Petriciolet is Professor in the Department of Chemical Engineering of Instituto Tecnológico de Aguascalientes, México. His research interests are applied thermodynamics, process modeling, materials science, and optimization. He has published several papers in international journals and presented a number of papers in conferences.

Chapter 1

**Preface VII**

**Lignocellulosic Precursors Used in the Elaboration of Activated Carbon 1**

and José Iván Bueno-López

Carlos J. Durán-Valle

A. Alicia Peláez-Cid and M.M. Margarita Teutli-León

**Thermal Treatments and Activation Procedures Used in the Preparation of Activated Carbons 19** Virginia Hernández-Montoya, Josafat García-Servin

**Techniques Employed in the Physicochemical Characterization of Activated Carbons 37**

Rosa Miranda, César Sosa, Diana Bustos, Eileen Carrillo and María Rodríguez-Cantú

**Applications of Activated Carbons Obtained from** 

**Lignocellulosic Materials for the Wastewater Treatment 57** María del Rosario Moreno-Virgen, Rigoberto Tovar-Gómez, Didilia I. Mendoza-Castillo and Adrián Bonilla-Petriciolet

**Characterization of Pyrolysis Products Obtained During the Preparation of Bio-Oil and Activated Carbon 77**

Contents

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

### Contents

#### **Preface XI**


Preface VII

The synthesis and characterization of activated carbons (ACs) obtained from lignocellulosic precursors is a topic widely studied by a number of researchers worldwide. In the last decades, an increase has been observed in the number of publications related to the synthesis, modification, characterization and application of ACs obtained from lignocellulosic materials. Particularly, the applications of these carbons are primarily focused in the removal of several inorganic and organic pollutants from water and

In this context, the purpose of this book is to provide, for interested readers in the topic of activated carbons, the actual or alternative lignocellulosic precursors used in the elaboration of ACs (shells, stones, seeds, woods, etc.), the different methods and experimental conditions employed in their synthesis; the recent and more specialized techniques used in the characterization of ACs and the specific physicochemical characteristics that activated carbon must show to remove efficiently priority pollutants from water. Also, the importance of pyrolysis method for energy and carbon produc-

The book contains five chapters and a short description is given in the following points:

precursors in the production of activated carbon.

• Chapter 1: Provides a twenty-year (1992 – 2011) worldwide research review regarding a large amount of lignocellulosic materials proposed as potential

• Chapter 2: Describes the principal methods used in the preparation of activated carbons from lignocellulosic materials by chemical and physical procedures. An analysis of the experimental conditions used in the synthesis of ACs has been made attending to the carbon specific surface area. Also, the

• Chapter 3: Introduces the basic principles of the common techniques used in the characterization of activated carbons. For example, this chapter includes techniques to determine textural parameters such as mercury porosimetry and gas adsorption isotherms; and different spectroscopies to determine chemical functionality (Raman, FT-IR, etc.) and other X-Ray techniques.

advantages and disadvantages of each method are discussed.

wastewaters.

Preface

tion is discussed in this book.

### Preface

The synthesis and characterization of activated carbons (ACs) obtained from lignocellulosic precursors is a topic widely studied by a number of researchers worldwide. In the last decades, an increase has been observed in the number of publications related to the synthesis, modification, characterization and application of ACs obtained from lignocellulosic materials. Particularly, the applications of these carbons are primarily focused in the removal of several inorganic and organic pollutants from water and wastewaters.

In this context, the purpose of this book is to provide, for interested readers in the topic of activated carbons, the actual or alternative lignocellulosic precursors used in the elaboration of ACs (shells, stones, seeds, woods, etc.), the different methods and experimental conditions employed in their synthesis; the recent and more specialized techniques used in the characterization of ACs and the specific physicochemical characteristics that activated carbon must show to remove efficiently priority pollutants from water. Also, the importance of pyrolysis method for energy and carbon production is discussed in this book.

The book contains five chapters and a short description is given in the following points:


I would like to thank all the authors for their excellent contributions to this book and to Instituto Tecnológico de Aguascalientes for the facilities to work in this project.

> **Ph.D Virginia Hernández Montoya** Instituto Tecnológico de Aguascalientes México

Chapter title

**1** 

*México* 

**Lignocellulosic Precursors Used in the** 

Many authors have defined activated carbon taking into account its most outstanding properties and characteristics. In this chapter, activated carbon will be defined stating that it is an excellent adsorbent which is produced in such a way that it exhibits high specific surface area and porosity. These characteristics, along with the surface's chemical nature (which depends on the raw materials and the activation used in its preparation process), allow it to attract and retain certain compounds in a preferential way, either in liquid or gaseous phase. Activated carbon is one of the most commonly used adsorbents in the removal process of industrial pollutants, organic compounds, heavy metals, herbicides, and

The world's activated carbon production and consumption in the year 2000 was estimated to be 4 x 108 kg (Marsh, 2001). By 2005, it had doubled (Elizalde-González, 2006) with a production yield of 40%. In the industry, activated carbon is prepared by means of oxidative pyrolysis starting off soft and hardwoods, peat, lignite, mineral carbon, bones, coconut shell,

There are two types of carbon activation procedures: Physical (also known as thermal) and chemical. During physical activation, the lignocellulosic material as such or the previously carbonized materials can undergo gasification with water vapor, carbon dioxide, or the same combustion gases produced during the carbonization. Ammonium persulfate, nitric acid, and hydrogen peroxide have also been used as oxidizing agents (Salame & Bandoz, 2001). Chemical activation consists of impregnating the lignocellulosic or carbonaceous raw materials with chemicals such as ZnCl2, H3PO4, HNO3, H2SO4, NaOH, or KOH (Elizalde-González & Hernández-Montoya, 2007; Girgis et al., 2002). Then, they are carbonized (a process now called "pyrolysis") and, finally, washed to eliminate the activating agent. The application of a gaseous stream such as air, nitrogen, or argon is a common practice during pyrolysis which generates a better development of the material's porosity. Although not commonly, compounds such as potassium carbonate, a cleaner chemical agent (Tsai et al., 2001b; 2001c) or formamide (Cossarutto et al., 2001) have been also used as activating

dyes, among many others toxic and hazardous compounds.

and wastes of vegetable origin (Girgis et al., 2002; Marsh, 2001).

**1. Introduction**

agents.

**Elaboration of Activated Carbon** 

*Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla* 

A. Alicia Peláez-Cid and M.M. Margarita Teutli-León

Author Name

Chapter title

Author Name
