Humidity Control Characteristics of Charcoal Prepared from Plastic Wastes

Charcoal was prepared from plastic wastes to evaluate its applicability as a humidity controller. PC+PET and PVC plastic wastes were carbonized at 500 to 700°C. Bamboo charcoal prepared in a similar procedure as the plastic waste charcoal and commercially available activated carbon were also used as reference materials. The humidity control performances of the carbonaceous materials were evaluated using hand-made equipment developed for this study. Adsorption and desorption for the equilibrium and kinetics study were estimated with differences in relative humidity between 56% and 96%. Humidity control ability varied with the carbonization temperature of the materials. The optimum carbonization temperatures for humidity control were 600°C and 700°C for the PC+PET and the PVC, respectively. The amounts of absorbed moisture for the two carbonized plastic materials were less than that for activated carbon, but more than for bamboo charcoal. The absorption speed of moisture for the two materials was also superior to that of the bamboo charcoal, and as high as that of the activated carbon. Based on these experimental results, the variation of carbonization temperature is considered to vary the pore distribution and the ash morphology of the resultant carbonized materials resulting in changes in humidity control ability.