Synthesis of carbon microspheres via hydrothermal carbonization of Sabal palms (Sabal palmetto) biomass for adsorption of methylene blue

• Published in: Biomass conversion and biorefinery Vol. 13; no. 18; pp. 16943 - 16953
• Main Authors: Al-Awadi, Abdulrhman S., El-Harbawi, Mohanad, Algarawi, Abdullah, Alalawi, Abdulrahman, blidi, Lahssen El, Alrashed, Maher M., Yin, Chun-Yang
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Berlin/Heidelberg Springer Berlin Heidelberg 01.12.2023; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Biomass; Biotechnology; Carbon; Carbonization; Decarboxylation; Dehydration; Energy; Functional groups; Methylene blue; Microparticles; Microspheres; Original Article; Renewable and Green Energy; Synthesis; Water purification; Sabal palms biomass; Hydrothermal carbonization; Adsorption; Carbon microspheres; Methylene blue
• ISSN: 2190-6815; 2190-6823
• DOI: 10.1007/s13399-021-02212-3

In this paper, we report new findings on the synthesis of carbon microspheres from a biomass precursor ( Sabal palmetto ) using one-step hydrothermal carbonization (HTC) process. The carbonization process involved predominantly dehydration process with partial occurrence of decarboxylation. The microspheres were analyzed using elemental analysis and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The produced microspheres were applied as adsorbents for sorption of an industrial dye (methylene blue) in which the data showed good fitting to the Langmuir model. The sub-micron-sized microspheres exhibited interesting textural characteristics—relatively low surface areas and porosities with presence of oxgenated functional groups (total = 0.4 to 0.5 mmol/g) on the surface. The work presented in this contribution involves themes on sustainable usage of resources (i.e., biomass), production of useful industrial microparticles, and direct application in wastewater purification.