Effect of Particle Diameter in the Adsorption Capacity of Banana Peel Activated Carbon

The use of biomass as raw material to obtain activated carbon is a wide study field nowadays. This material allows the removal of contaminants from water sources such as colorants or metals. In this work, activated carbon was obtained from banana peels with the purpose of removing methylene blue of a water sample. The effect of particle diameter in the adsorption capacity was studied. In the first place, the peels are cut and rinsed with distilled water to remove any kind of dirt. Then, it is dried at 105°C for 9 hours to reduce moisture. Later, the material is ground in a mill to reduce particle size. Pyrolysis is done taking the solid to 500°C for an hour in the presence of air. The carbonized material is chemically activated with 0,5 M sulfuric acid for three hours. The carbon is sieved and divided to make adsorption tests. It was found that reducing particle size lead to an increase of adsorption capacity and efficiency, obtaining the best results with the carbon retained in the bottom. Adsorption kinetics was analyzed to the retained carbon in Mesh No. 140 with a good adjustment in pseudo-second order kinetics.