Removal of Sulphur and Nitrogen Compounds from Model Fuel by Adsorption of Modified Activated Carbon

EasyChair Preprint 8575

Abstract

 In this research project, modification of commercial activated carbon by sulphuric acid (H₂SO₄) of 15%, 30%, 45%, 60% and 75% w/v followed by subsequent 1 Zinc chloride (ZnCl₂): 1 activated carbon impregnation in 500℃ muffle furnaces for 1 hour was carried out. Determination of best modified activated carbon is identified through highest removal of DBT, QUI and IND from adsorption experiment which were analysed using Ultra-Violet (UV-VIS). It was found that DBT and IND showed high percentage removal up to 86.23% and 82.77% respectively using 75% H₂SO₄ with ZnCl₂ modified AC. Meanwhile, QUI favoured 30% H₂SO₄ with ZnCl₂ modified AC with percentage removal of 33.17% which is still higher than unmodified AC. Physical and chemical properties such as the morphological structure, elemental analysis, porosity, pore size, surface functional group, percentage yield, pH, bulk density, content, ash content and iodine number were studied for best modified activated. Equipment such as Scanning Electron Microscope – Energy Dispersive X – Ray (SEM – EDX) and Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) was used to characterise the modified activated carbon. The research study revealed that DBT, QUI and IND followed Langmuir adsorption isotherm model with correlation coefficient, R² of 0.9905, 0.9791 and 0.9964 respectively. Moreover, the adsorption kinetic data of DBT, QUI and IND provided a better fitting to pseudo-second order kinetic model with R² of 0.9992, 0.9987 and 0.9998 respectively. According to Langmuir isotherm model and pseudo-second order kinetic model, the adsorption mechanism of DBT QUI and IND are monolayer and chemisorption process.

Keyphrases: Adsorption, Dibenzothiophene, Quinoline, indole, modified activated carbon

@booklet{EasyChair:8575,
  author    = {Narrisma Wengda Selvam},
  title     = {Removal of Sulphur and Nitrogen Compounds from Model Fuel by Adsorption of Modified  Activated Carbon},
  howpublished = {EasyChair Preprint 8575},
  year      = {EasyChair, 2022}}