Characterisation of activated carbon derived from carbon black produced by the pyrolysis of waste tyres

On a global scale, there is a growing need to find green and sustainable solutions to environmental issues. Waste tyres have become a serious environmental and health issue because of its being dumped into landfills or stored in stockpiles. Reuse of waste tyres is extremely important because of the problems and damage they cause. In this research, characterisation of activated carbon that was prepared from carbon black obtained by the pyrolysis of waste tyres was undertaken. The chemical activation method using potassium hydroxide as the activating agent was used in this study. The activated carbon was characterised by field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), and Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) methods. The FE-SEM analysis indicated that the produced AC is a highly porous material and provides a large surface area to which contaminants could adsorb. The elemental analysis using EDS indicated that carbon black from waste tyres was rich in carbon, and hence is suitable for preparation of activated carbon. The AC also was observed to have a high amount of carbon content. The surface area, pore volume and pore diameter of the activated carbon was found to be 235.86 m(2) g(-1), 0.845 cm(3)g(-1) and 14.33 A degrees, respectively. The activated carbon thus denoted microporous and mesoporous characteristics, indicating that it would possess good adsorption properties, identical to that of commercially available activated carbon. Hence, it is expected that the activated carbon obtained from waste tyres will function as an effective adsorbent material in applications like wastewater treatment.

Automated summary

Globally, there is an increasing demand for green and sustainable solutions to address environmental issues. Waste tyres pose a significant environmental and health concern when they are dumped in landfills or stored in stockpiles. Reusing waste tyres is crucial due to the problems and damage they cause. This research focuses on characterising activated carbon produced from carbon black obtained through the pyrolysis of waste tyres. The activated carbon exhibited highly porous characteristics, making it a potential effective adsorbent material for applications like wastewater treatment.