Comparative life cycle assessment of biomass-based and coal-based activated carbon production

Activated carbon is an effective adsorbent due to its high porosity, large surface area and high surface reactivity. Activated carbon is commonly produced from coal which is a non-renewable resource. Therefore, alternative source such as biomass-based activated carbon is being explored nowadays. However, the environmental impact of biomass-based activated carbon produced is still not clearly quantified. Thus, in this study, the impact of production of biomass-based activated carbon was compared with base case of coal-based activated carbon. The environmental impact of both biomass and coal-based activated carbon in terms of global warming potential (GWP), acidification potential (AP) and eutrophication potential (EP) from cradle to gate was evaluated using life cycle assessment (LCA) based on method outlined in ISO 14040. The input and output data of biomass-based and coal activated carbon were obtained from the literature. The results show that biomass-based activated carbon is a better option of source for activated carbon compared to coal activated carbon. The outcome of this study provides a better understanding on the environmental impact of production of biomass-based activated carbon. The outcome can also verify the sustainability of the renewable sources used for the production of activated carbon. In long term perspective, it can be used to support the replacement of coal-based activated carbon.