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Two-step optimization of the preparation conditions of a high-quality activated carbon derived from sawdust

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Abstract

In this study, we optimized five preparation conditions of an activated carbon obtained from sawdust by chemical activation with phosphoric acid H3PO4. The fractional factorial design and Doehlert uniform shell design were used to identify the most influential factors of impregnation time, impregnation ratio, heating rate, activation temperature, and time of stay and to determine the optimal conditions of preparations. The optimal preparation conditions were identified as an impregnation ratio of 1.92, an impregnation time of 6.02 h, a heating rate of 20 °C/min, an activation temperature of 500 °C, and a time of stay of 30 min. The optimal activated carbon was characterized by SEM/EDX, FTIR, XRD, BET, and pHpzc. The results reveal that the prepared material had a porous structure with a variety of functional groups, a surface area of 254.69 m2/g, and a pHpzc of 2.9.

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Data availability

The datasets analyzed during this case report are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

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Acknowledgements

The authors are grateful to the Center of Analyses and Characterization (CAC) of University Caddy Ayyad, Morocco. Also, their respectful thanks go to professors of the SCIMATOP and REMINEX Managem laboratories in Marrakech, Morocco.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Research Laboratory on Materials Science and Process Optimization “SCIMATOP”, Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science Semlalia, Cadi Ayyad University, B.P. 2390, Marrakech, Morocco

    R. Chikri, N. Elhadiri, M. Benchanaa & Y. El maguana

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  1. R. Chikri
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Chikri, R., Elhadiri, N., Benchanaa, M. et al. Two-step optimization of the preparation conditions of a high-quality activated carbon derived from sawdust. Biomass Conv. Bioref. (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13399-023-03965-9

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