Preparation and characterization of activated carbon from spent coffee grounds using NaOH and KCl as activating agents

Department of Chemical Engineering, School of Studies in Engineering & Technology, Guru Ghasidas Vishwavidyalaya (A Central University), Bilaspur-495 009, Chhattisgarh, India E-mail: r.s.thakur@ggu.ac.in Manuscript received online 30 March 2020, accepted 12 June 2020 Activated carbons were prepared by double stage activation method using spent coffee grounds (SCG) as precursor. The process involved impregnation of SCG with NaOH or KCl followed by heat treatment. Proximate analysis of raw SCG was done to investigate moisture, ash, volatile matter and fixed carbon content. Characterization of the adsorbents was done through FTIR, BET and XRD analyses. Activated carbon (AC) prepared using NaOH as activating agent was used to adsorb lead (Pb(II)) from an aqueous solution. Adsorption study result showed that 98% Pb(II) could be removed with the adsorbent dose of 20 g/L and 90 min of contact time from the aqueous solution initially containing 400 mg/L of Pb(II)