Porous Material Synthesis and Chromium (VI) Applications

Abstract Using chemical activation, carbonaceous porous material was produced from sunflower shells (SS). The study includes the effects of variation in the amount of chemical activation agent and carbonization temperature on various properties of carbonaceous porous materials. To thoroughly examine the carbonaceous porous materials that were produced, a range of analytical techniques were employed. The aim was to gain a comprehensive understanding of the materials' properties and to identify any potential applications for these carbonaceous porous materials. The carbonaceous porous material, produced with a 4:1 impregnation ratio and carbonized at 500 °C, had the highest surface area and pore volume. The specific surface area of this material was measured to be 1501 m2/g, and the pore volume of this material was found to be 0.842 cm3/g, indicating that it has a high capacity for adsorption and storage of gases and liquids. These properties make this carbonaceous porous material an ideal candidate for various applications, such as catalysis, gas storage, and water purification. After the carbonaceous porous materials were synthesized, experiments were conducted to evaluate their ability to remove Cr (VI) from aqueous solutions. After analyzing the results, it was concluded that the Langmuir isotherm provided a better fit than the other two isotherms. Furthermore, the kinetic analysis of the adsorption process indicated that it followed pseudo-second-order kinetics. In conclusion, the study demonstrated that carbonaceous porous material derived from SS has a high adsorption capacity and can effectively remove toxic substances such as Cr (VI).