The production of nano-porous activared carbon from tangerine shells and investigation of adsorption capability for some toxic dyestuff and dyestuff mixture from aqoues phase

Activated carbon surface area is one of the widely used adsorptions due to its porosity and adsorptance capacity. Activated carbon waste amount can be easily obtained from surplus raw materials. Within the scope of this master/s thesis, it is aimed to optimize the conditions of preparing nano-porous activated carbon by applying microwave pre-operation for the first time through the use of tangerine shell which has a great waste amount. For this purpose, proximate and thermogravitmetric analyses were carried out to determine the convenience of tangerine shell to activated carbon. H3PO4 was preferred as the chemical activator in the process of preparing activated carbon. After applying 40 seconds 900 W microwave pre-operation for the conditions of preparing activated carbon, the effects of activator impregnation ratio in the nitrogen phase, carbonization/activation temperature and time were investigated. As a result, the conditions of optimization of production were determined as: 40 seconds 900 W microwave pre-operation, 2:1 gH3PO4/gshell impregnation rate, 500 oC carbonization/activation temperature and 1 hour of carbonization/activation time. Active carbon surface area prepared under these conditions and pore size distributions were characterised with such physicochemical methods as SEM, FT-IR, proksimate analyses, point of zero charge and Boehm titration measurements. Besides, methylene blue and metanil yellow was used as adsorptance to identify adsorption capacity in aqueous solution. To optimize adsorption capacity, the effects of such parametres as the pH of solution, adsorption dose, adsorpted starting concentration, balance time, and temperature impact were investigated. Kinetical and isotherm studies were carried out under determined optimal adsorption conditions. As a consequence of kinetical and isotherm studies, it was observed that their adsorptions occured in high concentrations and high temperatures in a short time. At the end of this study, it was observed that tangerine shell can be used in the production of commercial activeated carbon considering optimal nano-porous activated carbon pore characteristics and solution adsorption capacity produced from tangerine shell whose waste value is high.