Production of a new industrially viable green-activated carbon from Artocarpus integer fruit processing waste and evaluation of its chemical, morphological and adsorption properties

Artocarpus integer is widely cultivated in Malaysia for its edible fruit which is used as an ingredient in the production of various confectioneries. The large amount of thick solid peel waste formed from processing of this fruit is a burden to local Artocarpus integer fruit processing industries. In this work, the feasibility of converting Artocarpus integer fruit processing waste into an industrially viable and low-cost green-activated carbon was evaluated. The novel activated carbon was prepared by physical activation with steam and characterized by elemental analysis, Boehm titration method, Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscope (FTIR), Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) and X-ray powder Diffraction (XRD). In addition, the potential use of the prepared activated carbon as an adsorbent and the effects of activation temperature and duration on iodine adsorption were examined. Experimental results revealed the suitability of Artocarpus integer fruit processing waste to be used as a precursor for activated carbon. The raw waste material was found to be a lignocellulosic biomass which is rich in cellulose (53.6 wt%) and carbon (60.8 wt%). Steam activation temperature, 750 °C and a short activation time of 60 min were appropriate to attain a high quality activated carbon with a large iodine adsorption capacity (1411 mg/g), highly micro-porous and amorphous structure with predominantly basic surface functional groups which are all advantageous properties for adsorption applications. The newly developed activated carbon is a promising cost-effective (∼1.67 US$ per kg) alternative to commercial carbon which may be used as a cleaner and ecologically compatible adsorbent for improving water and air quality, consequently, benefiting human health and wellbeing.