Characterization of activated biochar prepared from pineapple waste for metal catalyst support

Abstract

The utilization of agricultural residues for biochar processing has recently attracted attention due to the potential in many applications. One of the most urgent options for biochar is as a support material used in the catalytic process. In this study, activated biochar which has a high surface area and is inexpensive was prepared from pineapple waste mostly available in the southern and eastern parts of Thailand. The raw pineapple waste was previously carbonized at the desired temperature (400 and 600°C) using different heating rates (7 and 20°Cmin -1 ) and steam was added immediately as an activator. The BET surface area was developed from 0.95 to 228.34 m 2 g -1 by increasing the carbonization temperature with steam activation. A higher carbon percentage was also represented in a high-temperature condition. From the observed results, this new finding hints that the produced activated biochar from pineapple waste showed a beneficial characteristic which is available for use as a metal catalyst support or other functional materials.