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Porous carbon derived from waste corrugated paper board using different activators

Journal of Material Cycles and Waste Management volume 24, pages 1893–1901 (2022)Cite this article

Abstract

Porous carbon with a large specific surface area (maximum was 1600 m2/g) was successfully prepared from waste corrugated paper board. The plant fibers in waste corrugated board were separated by beating and grinding, then impregnated with different activators. The porous carbon was prepared using different activators (ZnCl2, NaOH/KOH, K2CO3 and H3PO4) and the properties of the prepared porous carbon under different conditions (activators, dosages and pyrolysis temperatures) were studied. Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) calculation method and Density Function Theory (DFT) method were used to calculate the specific surface area and pore size distribution of the product. Thermogravimetric analysis (TG) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) were used to analyze the pyrolysis process of waste corrugated paper impregnated with different activators and the microtopography of prepared porous carbon, respectively. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy spectrometer (FT-IR) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) were used to analyze the composition and microstructure of the porous carbon. The pore-forming mechanism under different activators was also analyzed. The results showed that the properties of porous carbon mainly depended on the type of activator. The selection of activation parameter was the key to prepare porous carbon with excellent properties. This study provided a new way for the recycling of waste paper.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by the National Key Research and Development Program of China (No.2021YFD1600402), National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 52000151), Xi’an Beilin District Science and Technology Plan Project (GX2040), Natural Science Basic Research Program of Shaanxi Province (Young Talents Program, 2021JQ-484) and Outstanding Youth Science Fundation of Shaanxi Province (No. 2018JC-028).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Mechanical and Precision Instrument Engineering, Xi’an University of Technology, Xi’an, 710048, People’s Republic of China

    Mannan Yang & Changqing Fang

  2. Faculty of Printing, Packaging Engineering and Digital Media Technology, Xi’an University of Technology, Xi’an, 710048, People’s Republic of China

    Changqing Fang, Huilin Zeng, Jian Su, Youliang Cheng & Lu Pei

  3. Jiangsu Weixing New Materials Co., Ltd., Gaoyou, 225600, People’s Republic of China

    Ming Liu

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  1. Mannan Yang
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Correspondence to Changqing Fang or Jian Su.

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Yang, M., Fang, C., Zeng, H. et al. Porous carbon derived from waste corrugated paper board using different activators. J Mater Cycles Waste Manag 24, 1893–1901 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10163-022-01446-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10163-022-01446-1

Keywords

  • Porous carbon
  • Chemical activation
  • Waste corrugated board
  • Activator
  • Pore formation mechanism