An investigation on the production of activated carbon from olive stone

Activated carbon is a porous material which has found extensive applications in separation and purification processes. Special properties of this material such as high specific surface area, highly porous structure, and high absorption capacity have resulted in its utilization in numerous industries. The purpose of this research is the production of activated carbon from waste olive stones using the chemical activation method. Phosphoric acid was used to chemically activate the olive stones, and a reductive atmosphere was applied in the heating stage instead of inert gas atmosphere. The effect of such parameters as acid concentration and activation temperature on the product properties were investigated. The products were characterized using XRD, SEM, and BET analysis. It was found out that the production of high-quality activated carbon is possible without the need for an inert heating atmosphere. It was also concluded that the concentration of the soaking solution highly affects the properties of activated carbon, especially its specific surface. The optimum conditions for obtaining the highest specific surface in the activated carbon (1194.94 m2/g) were determined to be 85 wt.% concentration of acid soaking solution, and heating temperature of 500°C.