Adsorption of carbon dioxide onto activated carbon prepared from lawn grass

In this work, activated carbon was synthesized from lawn grass via its physical treatment. The lawn grass was washed with hydrochloric acid solution before heat treatment step at different temperatures in the presence of carbon dioxide (CO2) gas. Activated carbon samples obtained from heat treatment process and raw grass samples were completely analyzed using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), thermogravimetric analyzer (TGA), Fourier transforms infrared (FTIR) spectroscopic, and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The surface area of activated carbon resulted from heat treatment of lawn grass in the presence of CO2 was higher, i.e., 208 m2/g, as compared to raw grass, i.e., 0.0068 m2/g. The adsorption capacity was highest (i.e. 0.12 mmol/g at 25 °C and 1 bar for CO2 adsorption) for activated carbon sample prepared at 750 °C. Therefore, activated carbon prepared from heat treatment of lawn grass can be a viable option for pollutants removal by using this low cost and effective adsorbent.