Activated Carbons from Shredded Waste Tire for Malachite Green Adsorption

Abstract

This work aimed to evaluate the adsorptive properties of shredded waste tire-based activated carbons prepared through zinc chloride or potassium hydroxide activation. The activated carbons were characterised for specific surface and functional groups, and malachite green was used to probe the removal performance at different dye concentrations and contact times. Potassium hydroxide-activated carbon  with a 319 m2/g surface area displayed a higher adsorption capacity of 102 mg/g as compared to zinc chloride-activated carbons for the concentration range studied. The adsorption data obeyed pseudo-second-order model, indicating the chemically driven adsorption. The experimental results show the feasibility of shredded waste tire to be converted into activated carbon for dyes removal.