Comparison of activated carbon from bitter orange and Amygdalus scoparia Spach and surface modification

Activated nanocarbons are suitable adsorbents for the removal of metal cations from aqueous solutions, and surface modification is an essential technique for developing this efficiency. In this study, activated carbon was first synthesized by the chemical activation method from bitter orange wood and Amygdalus scoparia Spach, which are used as inexpensive raw materials for activated carbon synthesis. Parameters affecting synthesis include the type of chemical activator (potassium hydroxide, phosphoric acid, and nitric acid), activation time (30 to 90 min), activation temperature (400 to 600 °C), and initial particle size (200 to 400 microns) that optimized based on the Taguchi method. Then, the process of synthesis and surface modification of activated carbon was investigated using detection analyses. The results of FT-IR spectroscopy with elemental analysis indicated that the surface modification was successful at each stage, and the presence of epoxide, carbonyl, amino, and thiol functional groups on the activated carbon surface was confirmed. According to FESEM images, the synthesized particles were three-dimensional with an average thickness of 400–300 nm. Nitrogen uptake and desorption tests followed type I isotherms before surface modification and type II isotherms after surface modification.