Thermodynamic study of the adsorption of chromium ions from aqueous solution on waste corn cobs material

The paper shows the results of a study obtaining activated carbon from corn cobs and determining its use as an adsorbent for the removal of Cr3+ from aqueous solutions. The finely ground precursor was subjected to pyrolysis at 600 and 900 °C in a nitrogen atmosphere and chemical activation with H2O2 and HNO3. The effects of pyrolysis conditions and activation method on the physicochemical properties of the materials obtained were tested. The samples were characterised chemically and texturally. Were obtained microporous activated carbons of well-developed surface area varying from 337 to 1213 m2/g and exhibited differences acid-base character of the surface. The results obtained shows that a suitable good option of the activation procedure for corncobs permits the production of economic adsorbents with high sorption capacity for Cr3+ from aqueous solutions. A detailed study of immersion calorimetry was performed with carbons prepared from corn cobs to establish possible relationships with these materials between the enthalpies of immersion and textural and chemical parameters