Activated Carbon Final

PRODUCTION AND CHARACTERIZATION OF ACTIVATED CARBON FROM CORN COB 2005/2013
SCHOOL OF CHEMICAL AND FOOD ENGINEERING

Production and Characterization of Activated carbon from Corn cob
BSc. thesis submitted by
1. Bassazin Ayalew
2. Bedewi Bilal
3. Yordanos Belay
Project submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the
award of the degree of
BACHELOR OF SCIENCE IN CHEMICAL ENGINEERING
ADVISOR
Tewekel Mohammed (Msc.)
June, 29/2013
Bahir Dar Ethiopia
BDU/IOT CHED Page i

Contents Page
Declaration ……………………………………………………………………………….iii
Acknowledgment ........................................................................................................... iv
Abstract ...........................................................................................................................v
List of figures ................................................................................................................ vi
List of tables ................................................................................................................. vii
List of abbreviations .................................................................................................... viii
CHAPTER ONE..............................................................................................................1
1.INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................................1
1.2 Statement of the problem ........................................................................................2
1.3 Objective ................................................................................................................2
1.4 Scope and Limitation..............................................................................................2
CHAPTER TWO .............................................................................................................3
2. LITERATURE REVIEW ............................................................................................3
2.1 Classification of activated carbon ...........................................................................5
2.2 Properties of activated carbon.................................................................................7
2.3 Applications of activated carbon.............................................................................7
2.4 Production Technology options ..............................................................................9
2.4.1 Physical activation ...........................................................................................9
2.4.2 Chemical activation .........................................................................................9
2.4.3 Chemical activation as a selected technology ................................................. 10
2.4.4 Description and flow diagram of Chemical activation Process ....................... 10
CHAPTER THREE ....................................................................................................... 13
3.MATERIAL AND METHOD .................................................................................... 13
BDU/IOT CHED Page i

3.1 Materials used ...................................................................................................... 13
3.2 Chemical used ...................................................................................................... 13
3.3 Methodology ........................................................................................................ 13
3.4 Characterization methods of activated carbon ....................................................... 16
CHAPTER FOUR ......................................................................................................... 18
4.RESULT AND DISCUSSION.................................................................................... 18
4.1 Characterization of corn cob ................................................................................. 18
4.2 Discussion on adsorption isotherm of synthesized activated carbon ...................... 24
CHAPTER FIVE ........................................................................................................... 29
5.MATERIAL AND ENERGY BALANCE .................................................................. 29
5.1 Material balance ................................................................................................... 29
5.2 Energy balance ..................................................................................................... 32
CHAPTER SIX ............................................................................................................. 37
6.SIZING AND MECHANICAL DESIGN OF ROTARY DRIER ................................ 37
6.1 Mechanical design of rotary drier ......................................................................... 38
CHAPTER SEVE .......................................................................................................... 47
7. ECONOMIC EVALUATION.................................................................................... 47
7.1 Fixed capital investment ....................................................................................... 47
7.2 Manufacturing cost............................................................................................... 50
7.3 Profitability evaluation ......................................................................................... 51
CHAPTER EIGHT ........................................................................................................ 52
8.CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION ........................................................... 52
8.1 Conclusion ........................................................................................................... 52
8.2 Recommendation ................................................................................................. 53
REFERENCE ................................................................................................................ 54
BDU/IOT CHED Page ii

BONAFIDE CERTIFICATE
Certified that this project report titled production and characterization of activated carbon
from corn cob application is the bonafide work of: 1.Bassazin Ayalew
2. Bedewi Billal
3. Yordanos Belay
Who carried out the project under my supervision certified further ,that to the best of my
knowledge the work reported here in does not from part of any other project report or
dissertation on the basis of which a degree or award was conferred on an earlier occasion
on this all any other candidate.
Advisor
Signature Date
COUNTER SIGN BY THE HEAD OF THE DEPARTMENT
HOD name
Signature
Date
APPROVAL OF EXAMINING COMMITTEE
1. Name of the examiner:
Signature Date
Signature Date
Signature Date
BDU/IOT CHED Page iii

Acknowledgment
We would like to express our sincere thanks and gratitude to MSc.Tewekel Mohammed
for providing the topic of this project and suggesting guidance, motivation and
constructive ideas throughout the course of the project.
We would like to express our thanks to Birsheleko farm land development for providing
the corn cob
We would like to take this opportunity to thank School of Chemical and food
engineering lab assistances for all their support in providing laboratory materials for this
work.
We are grateful by (Dr.) Esaye and (Dr.) Muluken, Head of the collage of science
department and head of chemistry department they help us by giving the necessary
chemicals to perform our project.
Especial thank to w/rt zinash who is a laboratory technician in the main campus for her
greater participation for getting the chemicals that are necessary for our project.
We also would like to express our deepest gratitude to our class mate Azmera Abreha for
her moral support and help.
BDU/IOT CHED Page iv

Abstract
Activated carbon obtained from agricultural by-products has the advantage of offering an
effective, low cost replacement for non-renewable coal-based granular activated carbons
provided that they have similar or better adsorption efficiency. The abundance and
availability of agricultural by-products makes them good sources of raw materials for
activated carbon production.
About 18 kg of corn cob was obtained in each 100 kg of corn grain production. But there
is miss use of corn cob in the society. Most of the society uses it for local energy fuel,
cattle fed and the reaming corn cob is wasted in the farm land. It is proposed to convert
corn cob into activated carbon, which is very useful to treat the effluents from
wastewater.
Basically, the process for manufacturing activated carbons involves two steps, the
carbonization of raw carbonaceous materials in an inert atmosphere and the chemical/
physical activation of carbonized product.
The preparation of the activated carbon (AC) can be manipulated by controlling three
major variables such as carbonization temperature (CT), weight ratio of activator to corn
cob (IR) and, carbonization time (Ct). The range of variables investigated in this study
were; CT = 400, 500, and 700 OC, Ct = 1, 1.5, 2 hour and IR =15wt%, for KOH activator.
It was observed that the activation temperature for the production of activated carbon
elevated from 4000C - 7000C with time the yield of activated carbon is declined.
The characterization of the final product is done on adsorptive capacity of the adsorbent
on dye effluent from waste water investigated at ambient conditions by preparing three
different concentration dye solution which ranges from 100 – 200ppm. The result showed
that as the contact time between the molecules of the dye solution and the corn cob
carbon increases, the initial concentration of each solution decreases and the adsorption
capacity of adsorbent increased. On the other hand, the contact time required in attending
equilibrium was higher as for the higher initial concentration of dye solution.
BDU/IOT CHED Page v

LIST OF FIGURES
Figure 1: Process flow diagram of chemical activation Process…………………….....12

Figure 2: Preparation of the activated carbon from corn cob…………………………. 15
Figure 3: The effect of temperature on the yield of carbon …………………………….23
Figure 4: Time versus adsorption capacity for initial dye concentration of 100mg/l….26
Figure 7: The graph of Langmuir adsorption isotherm…………………………………28
BDU/IOT CHED Page vi

LIST OF TABLES
Table 1: Some physical properties of corn cob……………………………………….19
Table 2: Yield of carbon at different pyrolysis temperature and time...……………...23
Table 3: Adsorption capacity of samples at different time interval ………………….25
Table 4: Equilibrium concentration and amount of dye adsorbed for the samples…...27
Table 5: Dimensions of Standard steel saddle support………………………………..46
Table 6: Purchased equipment cost…………………………………………………...47
BDU/IOT CHED Page vii

LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS
AC = activated carbon
ASTM= American standard testing method
GACs = granular activated carbons
PAC= Powdered activated carbon
EAC = Extruded activated carbon
CT = carbonization temperature
Ct = carbonization time
IR= weight ratio of activator to corn cob
RH= relative humidity
tG= Temperature of inlet air
tW= Wet bulb temperature
WG= Humidity of air at temperature tG
Ww= Humidity of air at temperature tw
M= Molecular wt of air
‫ג‬W = Latent Heat of vaporization
NTU= number of transfer units
GG= Maximum superficial air mass velocity
qe = Amount of dye adsorbed per unit mass of adsorbent
t= Amount of dye adsorbed per unit mass of adsorbent at time t.
C0= the initial liquid-phase concentrations of dye
BDU/IOT CHED Page viii

Ct= the liquid-phase concentrations of dye at time t
Ce= Final dye concentration
W = Dose of adsorbent
V = the volume of the solution
m = maximum amount adsorbed per unit mass of adsorbent
B= the ratio of the rate constant of adsorption to desorption (ka/kd)
ρb = The bulk density of the sample
W2 = the weight of the container and sample
W1 = the weight of the container
Mc= Moisture Content
Fc= Fixed Carbon Content
Vc= volatile content
Wp= Working pressure
Cs= stress concentration
Rk=knuckle radius
Rc= crown radius
PEC= purchase equipment cost
DC= Direct cost
FCI=fixed capital investment
TPC=total production cost
ROR=rate of return
BDU/IOT CHED Page ix

CHAPTER ONE
1. INTRODUCTION
Activated carbon (AC) is a tasteless, solid, microcrystalline, non-graphitic form of black
carbonaceous material with a porous structure has been regarded as a unique and versatile
adsorbent because of its extended surface area, micro porous structure, high adsorption
capacity, and high degree of surface reactivity. AC is applied widely in a variety of fields
such as food and chemical industries, wastewater treatment, solvent recovery, air
pollution control and hydrometallurgy for the recovery of gold and silver.
AC obtained from agricultural by-products has the advantage of offering an effective,

low cost replacement for non-renewable coal-based granular activated carbons (GACs)
provided that they have similar or better adsorption efficiency. The abundance and
availability of agricultural by-products makes them good sources of raw materials for
activated carbon production.
Basically, the process for manufacturing activated carbons involves two steps, the
carbonization of raw carbonaceous materials in an inert atmosphere and the chemical/
physical activation of carbonized product.
Chemical activation is performed in one stage, combining carbonization with activation,

by using a dehydrating agent such as zinc chloride (ZnCl2), phosphoric acid (H3PO4) and
potassium salts (KOH or K2CO3) in the form of pellets.
Physical activation, on the other hand, involves the carbonization of a carbonaceous

precursor followed by activation of the resulting char in the presence of some activating
gases such as CO2 or steam. Among the numerous dehydrating agents for chemical
activation, ZnCl2 and H3PO4 are the most widely used chemical agents. However, the use
of ZnCl2 and H3PO4 has been limited recently due to the problems of possible
environmental contamination and eutrophication with zinc and phosphorus compounds,
respectively. [1]
BDU/IOT CHED Page 1

1.2 Statement of the problem

Residues from agriculture are the non-product outputs from the growing and processing
of raw agricultural products such as corn. The waste from this corn such as cob and
leaves are used to produce activated carbon. Inevitably followed by the generation of
large amounts of agricultural waste, 18 kg of corn cob was obtained in each 100 kg of
corn grain production. But there is miss use of corn cob in the society. Most of the
society uses it for local energy fuel, cattle fed and the reaming corn cob is wasted in the
farm land. However, using in such manner is not economically significant while such
residues may contain valuable materials; their current economic values are less than the
apparent cost of collection, transportation and processing for beneficial use. So it is better
to convert to valuable source as activated carbon and save the foreign currency of the
country.
1.3 Objective
General objective
 To produce activated carbon from agricultural waste corn cob.
Specific objective
 To determine the yield from carbonization of the precursor.
 To investigate the effects of temperature and residence time on the final product.
 To characterize the product by testing adsorption capacity using reactive dye.
1.4 Scope and Limitation

 Scope: the production of activated carbon from corn cob and characterization of
the end product by testing the adsorption capacity using reactive dye.
 Limitation: during the processing steps of the corn cob there was some constraint
of creating free oxygen environment (inert environment) by providing controlled
flow rate of nitrogen during carbonization/activation of corn cob.
BDU/IOT CHED Page 2

CHAPTER TWO
2. LITERATURE REVIEW
Activated carbons are carbonaceous materials that can be distinguished from elemental
carbon by the oxidation of the carbon atoms found on the outer and inner surfaces. These
materials are characterized by their extraordinary large specific surface areas, well-
developed porosity and tunable surface-containing functional groups. For these reasons,
activated carbons are widely used as adsorbents for the removal of organic chemicals and
metal ions of environmental or economic concern from air, gases, potable water and
wastewater.
The surface oxygen functional groups can be easily introduced to the carbon by different
activation methods including dry and wet oxidizing agents. Dry oxidation methods
involve the reaction with hot oxidizing gas such as steam and CO2 at temperatures above
700 C. Wet oxidation methods involve the reaction between the carbon surface and
solutions of oxidizing agents such as phosphoric acid H3PO4, nitric acid HNO3, hydrogen
peroxide H2O2, zinc chloride ZnCl2, potassium permanganate KMnO4, ammonium
persulphate (NH4)2SO8, potassium hydroxide KOH, etc. From the above oxidizing
agents, phosphoric acid and zinc chloride are usually used for the activation of
lignocellulosic materials, which have not been carbonized before. On the other hand,
potassium hydroxide is usually used to activate coal or chars precursors. It has been
reported that zinc chloride produces activated carbon with higher specific area than that
produced by using phosphoric acid. However, phosphoric acid activation is widely
preferred over zinc chloride because ZnCl2 has bad environmental impact and the
activated carbon produced when using it cannot be used in the food and pharmaceutical
industries.
Activated carbon usually increases the cost of the treatment process. Its economical
drawback has stimulated the interest to utilize cheaper raw materials for the production of
activated carbon. Consequently, a wide variety of agricultural by-products and wastes has
been investigated as cellulosic precursors for the production of activated carbon in
BDU/IOT CHED Page 3

addition to hard wood and bituminous coal. These precursors include coconut shell and
need for activated carbons in our society and the high cost of raw materials and
production, many researchers have attempted various wastes such as tires, resins,
agricultural byproducts and dried sewage sludge as raw materials and proposed new
production methods for activated carbons with potential applications in pollution control.
Wood, Olive stones, sugarcane bagasse, pecan shells, palm seed, apple pulp, rubber seeds
and molasses. Commercial activated carbons are commonly produced from naturally
occurring carbonaceous materials such as coal, wood and peat.
Furthermore, more interest has been devoted to utilize some wastes of carbonaceous
materials such as paper mill sludge, old newspapers and waste tires. Recently, activated
sludge has been produced as a result of wastewater treatment activities and has emerged
as an interesting option for the production of activated carbon. In addition, the choice of
a cheap precursor for the production of activated carbon means both considerable savings
in the production cost and a way of making use of a waste material, thus reducing its
disposal problem.
Activated carbons are increasingly used as an economic and stable mass separation agent
for the removal of surfactants to raise the final product quality in many industrial
processes. Activated carbons also play an important role in many areas of modern science
and technology such as purification of liquids and gases, separation of mixtures, and
catalysis. Adsorption of activated carbon is governed by the chemical nature of the
aqueous phase, the solid phase, and the chemical nature of the adsorbing organic. For a
given industrial application, a solid adsorbent with a relatively wide pore size distribution
can be obtained solely through a chemical activation process. Physical activation can
further enhance the adsorbent‘s pore structure due to a partial oxidation of the carbonized
material by gases such as CO/CO2 or steam.
Analysis of the surface physical properties of the carbon includes determination of the
total surface area, extent of micro porosity, and characterization of the pore size
distribution. Nitrogen adsorption isotherms are commonly used for these types of surface
BDU/IOT CHED Page 4

analyses. The measured relative pressure and adsorbed volume of nitrogen gas are
commonly used in various mathematical models to calculate the monolayer coverage of
nitrogen adsorbed on the adsorbent surface.
2.1 Classification of activated carbon
Activated carbons are complex products which are difficult to classify on the basis of
their behavior, surface characteristics and preparation methods. However, some broad
classification is made for general purpose based on their physical characteristics.
Powdered activated carbon (PAC)

Micrographs of activated charcoal under bright field illumination on a light microscope
notice the fractal-like shape of the particles hinting at their enormous surface area. Each
particle in this image, despite being only around 0.1 mm wide, has a surface area of
several square meters. This image of activated charcoal in water is at a scale of 6.236
pixels/μm, the entire image covers a region of approximately 1.1 by 0.7mm.
Traditionally, active carbons are made in particulate form as powders or fine granules
less than 1.0 mm in size with an average diameter between .15 and .25 mm. Thus they
present a large surface to volume ratio with a small diffusion distance.
PAC is made up of crushed or ground carbon particles, 95–100% of which will pass
through a designated mesh sieve or sieve. Granular activated carbon is defined as the
activated carbon being retained on a 50-mesh sieve (0.297 mm) and PAC material as
finer material, while ASTM classifies particle sizes corresponding to an 80-mesh sieve
(0.177 mm) and smaller as PAC. PAC is not commonly used in a dedicated vessel, owing
to the high head loss that would occur. PAC is generally added directly to other process
units, such as raw water intakes, rapid mix basins, clarifiers, and gravity filters.
Granular activated carbon (GAC)

Granular activated carbon has a relatively larger particle size compared to powdered
activated carbon and consequently, presents a smaller external surface. Diffusion of the
adsorbate is thus an important factor. These carbons are therefore preferred for all
adsorption of gases and vapors as their rate of diffusion are faster.
BDU/IOT CHED Page 5

Granulated carbons are used for water treatment, deodorization and separation of
components of flow system. GAC can be either in the granular form or extruded. GAC is
designated by sizes such as 8×20, 20×40, or 8×30 for liquid phase applications and 4×6,
4×8 or 4×10 for vapor phase applications. A 20×40 carbon is made of particles that will
pass through a Standard Mesh Size No. 20 sieve (0.84 mm) (generally specified as 85%
passing) but be retained on a Standard Mesh Size No. 40 sieve (0.42 mm) (generally
specified as 95% retained). The most popular aqueous phase carbons are the 12×40 and
8×30 sizes because they have a good balance of size, surface area, and head loss
characteristics.
Extruded activated carbon (EAC)

Extruded activated carbon combines powdered activated carbon with a binder, which are
fused together and extruded into a cylindrical shaped activated carbon block with
diameters from 0.8 to 130 mm. These are mainly used for gas phase applications because
of their low pressure drop, high mechanical strength and low dust content.
Impregnated carbon:
Porous carbons containing several types of inorganic impregnant such as iodine, silver,
cations such as Al, Mn, Zn, Fe, Li, Ca have also been prepared for specific application in
air pollution especially in museums and galleries. Due to antimicrobial/antiseptic
properties, silver loaded activated carbon is used as an adsorbent for purification of
domestic water. Drinking water can be obtained from natural water by treating the natural
water with a mixture of activated carbon and Al (OH) 3, a flocculating agent.
Impregnated carbons are also used for the adsorption of H2S. Adsorption rates for H2S as
high as 50% by weight have been reported.
Polymer coated carbon:

This is a process by which a porous carbon can be coated with a biocompatible polymer
to give a smooth and permeable coat without blocking the pores. The resulting carbon is
useful for hemoperfusion. Hemoperfusion is a treatment technique in which large
BDU/IOT CHED Page 6

volumes of the patient's blood are passed over an adsorbent substance in order to remove
toxic substances from the blood.
Other: Activated carbon is also available in special forms such as cloths and fibres. The
"carbon cloth" for instance is used in personnel protection for the military.
2.2 Properties of activated carbon:

A gram of activated carbon can have a surface area in excess of 500 m2, with 1500 m2
being readily achievable. Carbon aerogels, while more expensive, have even higher
surface areas, and are used in special applications. Under an electron microscope, the
high surface-area structures of activated carbon are revealed.
Individual particles are intensely convoluted and display various kinds of porosity; there
may be many areas where flat surfaces of graphite-like material run parallel to each other,
separated by only a few nanometers or so. These micro-pores provide super conditions
for adsorption to occur, since adsorbing material can interact with many surfaces
simultaneously. Tests of adsorption behavior are usually done with nitrogen gas at 77 K
under high vacuum, but in everyday terms activated carbon is perfectly capable of
producing the equivalent, by adsorption from its environment, liquid water from steam at
100 °C and a pressure of 1/10,000 of an atmosphere. Physically, activated carbon binds
materials by van der Waals force or London dispersion force. Activated carbon does not
bind well to certain chemicals, including alcohols, glycols, strong acids and bases, metals
and most inorganic, such as lithium, sodium, iron, lead, arsenic, fluorine, and boric acid.
Activated carbon does adsorb iodine very well and in fact the iodine number is used as an
indication of total surface area.
2.3 Applications of activated carbon:

Activated carbon is used in gas purification, gold purification, metal extraction, water
purification, medicine, sewage treatment, air filters in gas masks and respirators, filters in
compressed air and many other applications.
BDU/IOT CHED Page 7

Recently Activated Carbon filters have gained popularity among recreational users of
Cannabis, and other smoking herbs for their use in effectively filtering out "Tar" from the
smoke. They are becoming quick competition for Vaporizers as they are only a fraction
of the cost and achieve nearly the same thing.
One major industrial application involves use of activated carbon in the metal finishing
field. It is very widely employed for purification of electroplating solutions. For example,
it is a main purification technique for removing organic impurities from bright nickel
plating solutions. A variety of organic chemicals are added to plating solutions for
improving their deposit qualities and for enhancing properties like brightness,
smoothness, ductility, etc. Due to passage of direct current and electrolytic reactions of
anodic oxidation and cathodic reduction, organic additives generate unwanted break
down products in solution. Their excessive build up can adversely affect the plating
quality and physical properties of deposited metal. Activated carbon treatment removes
such impurities and restores plating performance to the desired level. Activated carbon, in
50% w/w combination with celite, is used as stationary phase in low-pressure
chromatographic separation of carbohydrates (mono-, di- trisacchardes) using ethanol
solutions (5–50%) as mobile phase in analytical or preparative protocols.
In environment field activated carbon adsorption has numerous applications in removing

pollutants from air or water streams both in the field and in industrial processes such as
spill cleanup, Groundwater remediation , Drinking water filtration , Air purification ,
Volatile organic compounds capture from painting, dry cleaning, gasoline dispensing
operations, and other processes.
In medical applications activated carbon is used to treat poisonings and overdoses

following oral ingestion. It is thought to bind to poison and prevent its absorption by the
gastrointestinal tract. In cases of suspected poisoning, medical personnel administer
activated charcoal on the scene or at a hospital's emergency department. Dosing is
usually empirical at 1 gram/kg of body mass (for adolescents or adults, give 50–100 g),
usually given only once, but depending on the drug taken, it may be given more than
BDU/IOT CHED Page 8

once. In rare situations activated charcoal is used in Intensive Care to filter out harmful
drugs from the blood stream of poisoned patients. Activated charcoal has become the
treatment of choice for many poisonings, and other decontamination methods such as
ipecac-induced emesis or stomach pumping are now used rarely. [2]
2.4 Production Technology options

Activated carbon is nothing but carbon produced from carbonaceous source materials like
Corn cob, nutshells, peat, wood, coir, lignite, coal and petroleum pitch. It can be
produced by any one of the following described processes:
2.4.1 Physical activation:
Physical activation is a two-step process. It involves carbonization of a carbonaceous
material followed by the activation of the resulting char at elevated temperature in the
presence of suitable oxidizing gases such as carbon dioxide, steam, air or their mixtures.
By this process precursor is developed into activated carbons using gases. This is
generally done by using one or a combination of the following processes:
Carbonization:- Material having appreciable carbon content is pyrolyzed at temperature
ranging between 600–900 °C, in the absence of oxygen (usually in inert atmosphere with
gases like argon or nitrogen)
Activation/Oxidation: - in this process raw material or carbonized material is exposed to
oxidizing atmospheres (carbon monoxide, oxygen, or steam) at temperatures above 250
°C, usually in the temperature range of 600–1200 °C.
2.4.2 Chemical activation

In the chemical activation process the two steps are carried out simultaneously, with the
precursor being mixed with chemical activating agents, as dehydrating agents and
oxidants. Before carbonization, the raw material can be impregnated with certain
chemicals. The chemical needs to be typically an acid, strong base, or a salt (phosphoric
acid, potassium hydroxide, sodium hydroxide, zinc chloride, respectively). After
impregnation, the raw material needs to be carbonized at lower temperatures (450–900
°C). It is believed that the carbonization / activation step proceeds simultaneously with
the chemical activation. . [3]
BDU/IOT CHED Page 9

2.4.1 Chemical activation as a selected technology

Chemical activation is preferred over physical since it is carried out in a single step,
combining carbonization and activation, activation owing to the lower temperatures
resulting in the development of a better porous structure and shorter time needed for
activating material. Besides, part of the added chemicals (such as zinc salts and
phosphoric acid), can be easily recovered.
2.4.2 Description and flow diagram of Chemical activation Process

In chemical activation Process four unit operations were considered and consisted of
sample preparation (milling, soaking with chemicals, drying), pyrolysis/activation,
sample washing and acid recovery, and finally drying/screening and collecting.
Sample preparation
Clean and dry corncobs are fed into a carbon steel hammer mill and milled to a 10- to 40-
mesh (2.00 to 0.425 mm) particle size. Coarse particles (larger than 2.00 mm) were
recycled back to the mill to produce more feedstock. Fine particles (smaller than 0.425
mm) generated by the hammer mill can be directed for disposal or other use, such as to a
boiler to provide the steam required for activation by burning the fines.
After milling, the corn cobs are given an overnight (about 16 hours) soak at ambient
temperature in activating chemical agent. The 1:1 ratio of shells to acid for the soak step
will result in very little free acid. Any free acid could be added to the recycle acid from
the acid wash step. The wet shells were transferred to the hopper of the rotary dryer. The
acid-soaked shells were dried before being fed to the kiln.
Pyrolysis/activation
From the dryer, the acid-coated corn cobs were conveyed to a feed hopper of a rotary
kiln. In the kiln, the feedstock was pyrolyzed by heating to 1700C for 1 hour under an
atmosphere of breathing air. Following pyrolysis, the char was heated to 4500C and
activated under an oxidizing atmosphere of breathing air for 1 hour. Waste heat and off-
gases are generated and are available from this process for recovery and reuse. The
activated carbon was conveyed directly from the rotary kiln to a rotary cooler.
BDU/IOT CHED Page 10

Water wash/acid recovery

The cooled carbon must be water washed to remove any residual phosphoric acid. This
was done by washing the carbon with 80-90 0C water for 2 hours at a ratio of 40 L water
per kg carbon.
Drying/screening and collecting
The activated carbon was collected on a dewatering screen and taken to a rotary dryer
before it is ready for packaging or storage. A stainless steel dryer must be used to avoid
rusting. . [4]

Soak tank
Corn cob Hammer
storage mill
Air in drying
Rotary air out
dryer
Sieve
<40 mesh
Exhaust
Bag Rotary kiln

house
Carbonization and pyrolysis (1000C- 4000C);

Chemical activation under gas of
decomposition (4000C - 8000C)
Water/acid
Rotary cooler Water out

Wash tank
Water in (5000C-1000C)
Recycle
Chemical
Screen for storage
dewatering Waste tank
Activated carbons of
Rotary dryer
Sieve corn cobs
Fig 1: Process flow diagram of Chemical activation Process

CHAPTER THREE
3. MATERIAL AND METHOD
3.1 MATERIALS USED
Corn cob:- a waste from the production of corn grain used as carbonaceous
precursor.
Furnace:-used for pyrolysis/carbonization of the precursor.
Distilled water:-used for soaking and washing of corn cob and activated carbon.
Stirrer:-used for mixing of corn cob, water and activator during impregnation.
Oven: - used for subsequent moisture removal and dying.
Crucible:-used for handling of the activated during carbonization.
Electronic balance:-used to weigh the exact mass of the sample and product.
Desiccators: - to prevent the carbonized product from moisture absorbance.
Conical flask:- used as a shaker after AC and dye solution are mixed together.
Syringe:-used as a micropipette to separate the dye solution from AC.
Spectrometer: - a medium used to measure the concentration of dye solution after
shaking during characterization of activated carbon at wavelength of dye.
3.2 CHEMICAL USED
KOH: - activating agent of corn cob prior to carbonization process.
HCl:- used to remove the activator from the final carbon.
Dye: - reactive chemical used to prepare liquid phase solution.
3.3 METHODOLOGY
The corn cob is, structurally, made up of two distinct parts—the preparation of AC from
corn cob consisting of the following procedures;
 Sample preparation
The maize cobs used in this work came from a field located at Birsheleko agricultural
farm land which is located about 10 km from Mankusa Town. Upon harvesting, the
maize cobs contained several impurities, particularly soil. It was thus found that
necessary to wash the corn cob abundantly to get rid-off all the impurities which could
influence the final composition of material.
The washing was followed by drying for a long period on open air in order to remove the
residual water from washing as well as to reduce the moisture content of the fresh cobs.

 Crushing and separation into different particle sizes

The cleaned sample was then crushed and sieved to 1 – 2 mm. The finest particles gained
from the soft part of the cob and largest particles gained from the hard part. The raw
material particles in definite intervals of sizes were separating from those particles not
within the desired interval.
 Impregnation (soaking) with Chemicals
After obtaining the crushed particles, from the corn cob was activated with activating
chemical, KOH for 60 minutes.
To activate a sample, the following procedure was carried out. The crushed particles were
weighed on an electronic balance of extreme sensitivity. The material was dried in
desiccators to remove the high initial moisture content before transferring to a drying
oven set at 120oC for 24 hours. After 24 hours it was assumed that all the moisture and
some of the volatile material had left. The material was then re-dried in the desiccators
and weighed once again. It was then impregnated with the activating agent (KOH). The
impregnation ratios of 15 wt. % KOH were used to prepare activated carbons with more
developed porosity, because high impregnation ratio was favorable for producing carbon
adsorbents with high porosity and thus high surface area. According to the sample, the
activating agent was mixed with the matter by agitating for one hour at temperature of 80
– 900C to ensure the access of activating agent to the interior of the precursor until a
homogeneous mixture is obtained.
 Drying
After the impregnation the mixture (raw material and activating agent) was returned to
the oven for 24 hours. A dried mixture ready to be carbonized was thus obtained.
 Carbonization /Pyrolysis
The dried, chemically activated corn cob placed into a furnace. The pyrolysis was carried
out by covering the sample using aluminum foil and loading soil on it to provide an inert
atmosphere and to carry volatile matter away from the heating zone. The activation
temperature set 400 - 700°C for 1 to 2 hour.
 Cooling
Upon completion of the pyrolysis, sample was removed from the furnace and the activated
carbon was allowed to cool a temperature from 500°C to 100°C.

 Water wash/acid recovery

The cooled activated carbon materials were thoroughly washed in a flask by filtration with
distilled water and soaked in 1% hydrochloric acid solution for 2 h in order to eliminate
the residual activating agent from the pores of the carbons. The materials were washed
again with hot distilled water and finally cold water. Then they were dried in the oven at
120oC and then reweighted.
 Drying/screening and collecting
The activated carbon was collected on a dewatering screen and taken to a drying oven
before it is ready for packaging or storage. [5]
Preparation of raw Impregnation (soak)

corn cob: with ZnCl2, KOH or H3PO4
Milling
Washing & Drying Desired size (1 – 2 mm) particle
>2mm particles
Drying
Sieve
<1mm particle size
Exhaust Carbonization and pyrolysis (1000C- 4000C);
Chemical activation under gas of

decomposition (4000C - 8000C)
Water wash/acid recovery
Cooling (5000C-1000C)
Drying in the oven

Activated carbons of corn
(1200C)
cobs
Fig 2:.Preparation of the activated carbon from corn cob.

3.4 Characterization methods of activated carbon

Different concentration of dye solution with dye concentration of (100mg/L, 150 mg/L
200mg/L ) was prepared in a conical flask by using distilled water then 0.4g of the
synthesized activated carbon was added in to 200ml of prepared solutions and kept
shaking inside the conical flask. Dye concentration was estimated spectrophotometrically
at the wavelength of dye corresponding to, λmax,(534nm) using a spectrophotometer.
The samples withdrawn from conical flask at predetermined time intervals (20minutes)
and the dye solution should be separated from the adsorbent by the help of a syringe. The
concentration of solution was then measured. The dye concentration measured after 20,
40, 60, 80,100,120minuts until equilibrium reaches.
The adsorption capacities at time t (qt) and equilibrium adsorption capacities (qe) at
different concentrations were determined by:
= ( 0− )V
W
t = ( 0− t) V
W
Where Co, Ct, Ce (mg/L) are the liquid-phase concentrations of dye at initial, at time t
and at equilibrium, respectively. V is the volume of the solution (L) and W is the mass of
dry adsorbent used (g).
The adsorption capacity of synthesized activated carbon to reactive dye at any time and
equilibrium adsorption was investigated and the data was checked whether to fit to
Langmuir and Fredlich adsorption models.
qe = KFCe 1/ n…………………………………………………. Fredlich isotherm.
Or log (qe) = 1/ n log (Ce) + log (KF) and plot a graph of x versus y
qe is expressed as:
= 0−
W
Where, qe = Amount of dye adsorbed per unit mass of adsorbent (mg/g).
C0= Initial dye concentration (mg/L).
Ce= Final dye concentration (mg/L).
W = Dose of adsorbent (g/L).

Otherwise try other adsorption isotherm.

Ce / =1/ mB +1/ m * Ce …………………………. Langmuir isotherm
Plot Ce / versus Ce then find the slop 1 / m and intercept 1 / mB.
Where m = maximum amount adsorbed per unit mass of adsorbent

B= the ratio of the rate constant of adsorption to desorption (ka/kd)
If the line is straight line it fits to Langmuir isotherm. [6]

CHAPTER FOUR
4. RESULT AND DISCUSSION
As we have performed raw material preparation in the size reduction lab, After milling of
the corn cob we have done sieve analysis by taking 375 gm of milled corn cob and finally
we have got 52 gm of milled cob below the desired particle size (< 1mm). Therefore loss
for a given feed due to the mesh size of the sieves could be calculated as:-
Percent mass loss = mass of particles less than 1mm *100
Mass of feed to the mill
=52 gm/375 gm *100
= 14 % loss from the given fed.
4.1 Characterization of corn cob
Important physical properties of corn cob used such as bulk density, moisture content,
and particle size distribution of grounded Corn cob are presented as follows.
Bulk density
To determine the bulk density of grounded corn cob an empty container (250 mL) was
weighed using a digital balance. The container was filled with the sample and the
material was slightly compacted to ensure absence of large void spaces. The container
and the sample were then weighed. From the investigation of the measurement, the initial
weight of the 250 ml beaker is 94 g and the weight of sample and beaker became 140g
the bulk density is determined by
ρb = W2 - W1
V
ρb = 140 – 94 = 0.238 g/ ml
250
Where:
ρb = The bulk density of the sample (g /ml)
W2 = The weight of the container and sample (g)
W1 = The weight of the container (g)
V = the volume of the container (ml)

Moisture Content
According to our test the 2 gm of corn cob sample was heated in a petri dish at 105°C for
1hour 30 minutes in an oven. The weight of the sample after heating was determined and
become 1.8 gm. This specifies the amount of moisture content present in the sample,
Mc = W1 - W2 *100
W1
Mc = 2 – 1.8 *100 =10%
2
Table 1. Some physical properties of corn cob
Characteristics Value Unit Remark
Bulk density 0.238 g/ml For a particle size cut – 2 mm/+1 mm
Moisture content 10 Weight % Based on drying at 105 0C for1.5 hours
Particle size distribution:
>2mm 26%
(mesh size: 10)
-2 mm/ +1 mm 60% Weight %
(mesh size: -10/+18)
<1mm 14%
(Mesh size: -8/+35)
Volatile Matter Content

The procedure implies that 1.0g dry AC sample was heated at 925 °C in a closed crucible
for 7 minutes 30 seconds. The heating was done in a muffle furnace. The weight of the
sample after heating was 0.94g and the volatile matter present in the sample is weight
loss of the sample. Therefore the weight loss of the sample is then 0.06g.
Ash Content
To determine the ash content, 1.0g dry AC sample was placed in to crucible and
transferred into a preheated muffle furnace then; sample was heated at 725 °C in an open
crucible for 1 hour 30 minutes in a furnace. The weight of the sample after heating was
0.28 g. In this test, the amount of residual substance is equal to the ash present in the
sample. Then the % ash content (dry basis) was calculated as.

Ash = Wash *100

Wo
=0.28/1 *100= 28%
Fixed Carbon Content

The fixed carbon content is determined by subtracting the sum of percentage
compositions of moisture content, volatile matter content, and ash content form 100. The
value obtained is the amount of fixed carbon present in the sample expressed in
percentage.
FC = (100 – Mc – VC –Ash)
= (100 – 10 – 0.06 –29 )
=60.9%
Yield of Activated Carbon
The yield is defined as the ratio of final weight of the obtained AC after washing and
drying to the weight of dried corn cob initially used.
The characteristics of the activated carbon (AC) can be manipulated by controlling three
major variables such as carbonization temperature (CT), weight ratio of activator to corn
cob (IR) and, carbonization time (Ct). The range of variables investigated in this study
were; CT = 400, 500, and 700 OC, Ct = 1, 1.5, 2 hour and IR =15wt%, for KOH activator.

Soaking oven dried sample
Sample ready for carbonization/pyrolysis

Carbonized AC at 4000C and 1 hour
Carbonized AC at 5000C and 1.5 hour
Carbonized AC at 5000C and 1.5 hour

Table 2.Yield of carbon at different carbonization/pyrolysis temperature and time.

Precursor Activator Mass of carbonizat carbonization Mass after Yield
sample ion time temperature carbonization (%)
before (Ct) (CT),
carbonization
KOH 20g 1 hour 4000C 7.25g 36.25
Corn con KOH 20g 1.5 hour 5000C 7.09g 35.45
KOH 20g 2 hour 7000C 5.92g 29.64
Fig 3:.The effect of temperature on the yield of carbon

4.2. Discussion on adsorption isotherm of synthesized activated carbon
The three different dye concentrations:
Up on shaking by adding 0.4 gm AC. Concentration measurement at time t.

When we measure the concentration of each sample at the indicated time interval and that
of the wave length of reactive dye we get the following tabulated data.

Table 3: concentration of samples at indicated time interval and adsorption capacity.
Co = 100mg per liter
Time (min) 20 40 60 80 100 120 140 160
Ct 67.1 63.9 42.8 33.3 29.2 27.4 27.4
(Co – Ct) V 16.45 18.05 28.6 33.35 35.4 36.3 36.3
Ct 95.1 92.1 89.8 88.7 88.5 86.9 84.5 84.3
(Co – Ct) V 27.45 28.95 30.1 30.65 30.75 31.55 32.75 32.75
Ct 180 168.4 160.9 151.7 147.6 142.2 133 132.6 131.4 131.4
(Co – Ct) V 10 15.8 19.55 24.15 26.2 28.9 33.5 34 34.3 34.3

Fig 4: Time versus adsorption capacity for initial dye concentration of 100mg/l
Fig 5: Time versus adsorption capacity for initial dye concentration of 150 mg/l
For initial concentration of 150 mg/l

34
Adsorption capacity, qt (mg/g)
33
32
31
30
29
28
27
26
25
24
20 40 60 80 100 120 140 160
Time (min)

Fig 6: Time versus adsorption capacity for initial dye concentration of 200 mg/l
For initial concentration of 200 mg/l

40
Adsorption capacity, qt (mg/g)
35
30
25
20
15
10
0
20 40 60 80 100 120 140 160 180 200
Time (min)
Table 4: Equilibrium concentration and amount of dye adsorbed for the samples.
Co (Initial 100 150 200

concentration) mg/l
Ce (Equilibrium 27.4 84.4 131.4

concentration )mg/l
Qe (Amount of dye 181.5 163.75 171.5

adsorbed) mg/g
Ce/qe 0.151 0.516 0.766

Fig 7: The graph of Langmuir adsorption isotherm.

CHAPTER FIVE
5. MATERIAL AND ENERGY BALANCE
5.1 MATERIAL BALANCE
Basis of the flow sheet calculation: typical value, taken from our laboratory’s experience
and based on the annual production of corn at bir farm development (birsheleko).the
annual production of the bir farm is on average reaches 15,000 tons of corn per year and
from this mass production of corn 18 kg of corn cob is generated from 100kg of corn (i.e
18% of the total production is the corn cob)
Plant capacity……………………………………… 1900 kg/
Working day per year……………………………….300 days
Working hour per day………………………………3*8 hour
Amount of corn cob =18 kg of corn cob * 15,000 tons corn per year
100kg of corn
=2700 ton/year =9000 kg/day
Balance on sample preparation
The percent loss of carbon during the sieving operation is based on our laboratory’s result
was 14 % loss due to the mesh size of the sieves.
Hammer mill
9,000 kg/day
>10 To soak tank

mesh
14%loss
Mass in = mass out + mass stored + loss

Mass in = mass out + loss
Mass out = mass in – loss
=mass in – 0.14*mass in
=0.86 * mass in = 0.86 * 9,000
=7740 kg/day
Therefore7740 kg/day feed to the soaking tank
Activator (KOH, ZnCl)
7740 kg/day
Soaking Water
unit
AC
Based on the laboratory, weight ratio of activator to corn cob for KOH =1.5%wt
Weight of activator = 0.015
Weight of corn cob
Weight of activator =0.015* Weight of corn cob
=0.015* 7740 kg/day
=116 kg/day =0.0134 kg/s
Therefore 116 kg/day KOH is needed to activate 7740 kg/day of corn cob.
Weight ratio corn cob to water = 10% wt/wt
Volume of water = Weight of corn cob/0.10
=7740/0.10 kg/day

=77,400 L/day =77400 Kg/day =0.896 Kg/s
Loss due to pyrolysis
7740 kg/day Rotary kiln 35% yield

(Pyrolysis)
Yield = mass of product after pyrolysis * 100
Mass input to the kiln
Mass of product = Yield * Mass input to the kiln
=0.35 *7740kg
=2709 kg
Mass of volatile gases = 7740 – 2709 = 5031 kg
Air in air out
Rotary
2,709 kg dryer yield 30% of kiln input
(Washing
and drying)
Loss
Mass of product = Yield * Mass input to the kiln
=0.3 *7,740kg
=2322 kg
Loss = mass in - mass out
=2,709 – 2322 = 387 kg

2709 kg final product to storage

Screening
and
collection
5 % loss
Final product = 2709 – 0.05 *2709
=2,574 kg/day
Yield = mass of final product * 100
Total mass input
=2,574 /9,000 *100 =28.6%
5.2 ENERGY BALANCE
The energy requirement of hammer mill to crush the corn cob is calculated from bonds
law:-
E/W =√100/d2 – √100/d1
Where W=bond work index (4,000 – 8,000 J/kg)
D1 (m) =diameter of sieve aperture that allows 80%of the mass of feed to pass.
D2 (m) =diameter of sieve aperture that allows 80% of the material to pass.
D1 = 2mm =2*10-6 m and d2 = 1mm = 1*10-6 m
Take bond work index, w= 4000J/kg
E/W =√100/1*10-6 – √100/ 2*10-6
E = W *[√100/1*10-6 – √100/ 2*10-6]

= 4000 J/kg *(10000 – 7071)
= 11716000 J/kg
=11716 KJ/kg *9,000 kg/day
E=1220KW
Energy balance on soaking unit
The material fed to soak tank is at room temperature and held on mixing with activator at
a temperature 80 – 90 0c. Assume 90% of add water for soaking is removed.
Water in the product =0.896 - 0.896*0.90 = 0.0896 Kg/s
Heat required raising the product to discharge temp.
Q= sensible heat of water + sensible heat of activator
=MCpw( T2 – T1) + MCpa( T1 – T2)
= 0.0896*4.18(90 – 25) + 0.0134*1.18 (90 – 25)
= 24.34 + 1.028 =25.37 kw
Heat reuired to remove water

Q2 = M Cpw((T2 – T1)
= 0.896 Kg/s * 4.18 (90 – 25)
= 243.4 kw
Total Heat = 25.37 kw + 243.4 kw
= 268.8 kw

Energy balance on dryer
The rotary drier has a capability of removing about 60% of the water entering the feed.
The drier is a counter current drier, with air as the heating medium. The RH of the air
entering is assumed to be 10%. If the air entering is heated to a temperature of 160ºC, the
material fed from soak tank into the drier at a temperature of 80ºC because from the
literature soaking with activator is held mixing at a temperature 80 – 90 0c
7,740 kg cob/day 7740 kg water
Air out
ROTARY
Air in DRYER
Product = 3% moisture
Solid in the feed =7,740 kg, Water in the feed =7740kg/day
Water removed by the drier = 0.60*7740 = 4640 kg/day
Water Content in Product = 0.03*(7740 + 7740 – 4640) = 325 kg/day
Condition of inlet air:

Ambient temperature of air = 30ºC (86 0F) and RH = 10%
Wet bulb temperature = 22ºC (720F) and Humidity WG = 0.002 kg water/kg dry air.
Inlet temperature of air = 160ºC =3200F

To find the wet bulb temperature of inlet air:

WG – WH = hG (tG - tw)/ m‫ג‬W)
WG Humidity of air at temperature tG ºF
Ww Humidity of air at temperature tw ºF
tG Temperature of inlet air ºF
tW Wet bulb temperature ºF
M Molecular wt of air
‫ג‬W Latent Heat of vaporization at tw ºC =580 KJ
hG /(m ) = 0.26 for air at tw.
Assume a wet bulb temperature of 82ºC (180OF), Ww = 0.065

WG – Ww =0.065 – 0.002 = 0.063
= 0.26(320 –180)/580) = 0.063
Therefore wet bulb temperature assumed is true.
Therefore tw = 180ºF =82OC =355K
To Calculate the Outlet Temperature of Air:

Empirically it is found that the drier operates economically when total number of transfer
units (NTU) is between 1.5 to 2.5)
NTU = ln ((tG1 – tW)/( tG2 - tW ))
=ln ((320 – 180)/ (tG2 - 180))
Take NTU = 2.5
2.5= ln ((320 – 180)/ (tG2 - 180))
tG2 = 190.92ºF

Heat Balance:
Cp (corn cob) = 0.891 KJ/kg on average 3% moisture content,
Cp (Water) = 4.18 KJ/kg k
Product discharge temperature = (320 + 190)/2 = 255ºF =397k
Temperature of the feed = 80OC =176ºF =353 k
Heat required raising the product to discharge temp.
Q1= M CPc (397 – 353) + M Cpw(397 – 353)
= 0.0896kg/s *0.891(397 – 353) + 0.0037 kg/s *4.18((397 – 353)
= 4.18 KJ/s = 4.18 W
Heat reuired to remove water
Q2 = M Cpw(( tw – tf ) + ‫ג‬W ))
= 0.054kg/s * 4.18 (355 - 353) + 0.054kg/s*2257 KJ /kg
= 122.33 kJ/s = 122.33W
Total Heat = 4.18 W + 122.33W
= 126.51 W

CHAPTER SIX
6. SIZING AND MECHANICAL DESIGN OF ROTARY DRIER
From heat balance, air required for drying:

Total Heat = GG Ax Humid Heat of air x Temp difference
GG = Maximum superficial air mass velocity
Take average humid heat = 0.242
GG A= Total Heat / Humid Heat of air x Temp difference
= 0.4554MJ/hr / (0.242 x (313 – 190))
= 15,299 kg/hr
Assume that the maximum superficial air mass velocity to be = 2000 kg/ (hr m2)
A =15,299 kg/hr /2000 kg/(hr m2) = 8m2
D =√4* 8/п =3m
To calculate the overall heat transfer coefficient: Using the empirical equation
Ua = 15 (GG) 0.16
D
GG = Maximum superficial air mass velocity
Ua = the Overall heat transfer coefficient (volumetric)
D = Diameter of the Drier
Ua = 15 (2000)0.16
3
= 16.87W /Hr m3 ºc
To calculate the Length of the drier:
Q = Ua SZ (∆T) m
(∆T) m = (T1 – t2) – (T2 – t1)
Ln(T1 – t2)/ (T2 – t1)

= (160 – 124) – (88 – 80)
Ln(160 – 124)/ (88 – 80)
=17.33 0C
Where,
Q = Total heat
Z = Length of the drier
S = Heat transfer area
0.04554MJ/h
Z=
8 x 16.87 x 17.33
Z = 19.4 m
6.1 MECHANICAL DESIGN OF ROTARY DRIER
1. Material of construction
 Carbon steel (semi-killed):- Since carbon steel can withstand temperature up to

3600C.
 Insulation material:-wool
2. Working pressure: Working Pressure in the drier = 101.3 KPa = 0.1013 N/mm2
Design pressure = Wp + 10%Wp
= 1.1 * Wp = 1.1 *0.1013 N/mm2
= 0.1114N/mm2
3. Design temperature = 1600C
 Permissible stress of material used at 1600C = 113N/mm2
 Diameter of drier =3m =3000mm

 Length of the drier, L = 19m =19000mm
Thickness of the drier shell
ts = PD Vessel to be fully radiographed (joint factor J= 1).
2fJ – P
ts = 0.1114 * 3000
2 * 113*1 – 0.1114
ts = 1.48 mm + corrosion allowance
ts = 1.48 mm + 4 mm
ts = 5.48mm
D2 = Di + 2t = 3000 +2(5.48) = 3011 mm
Header and Closure
Torispherical heads: to resist high operating pressure of rotary drier.
t= Pi *Rc *Cs
2fJ + Pi (Cs – 0.2)
Cs = 1/4 (3 +√Rc/Rk)
Rc = Di = 3m and Rk =8% of that of the Rc
Cs = 1/4 (3 + √Rc/Rk) = 1/4 (3 + √Rc/0.08Rc)
= ¼ (3 +√12.5)
Cs = 1.63
t= 0.1114*3000*1.63
2*113*1 + 0.1114(1.63 – 0.2)

t = 2.41 mm + corrosion allowance = 2.41 + 2 = 4.41mm
Thickness of insulation
Material of the driver is carbon steel:
 Thermal conductivity, k1 = 60.50 W/mK w/mk

 Convective heat transfer coefficient, hO = 8 w/mk
The insulation of material can be chosen wool:
 Thermal conductivity of wool, K2 = 0.04 w/mk
From heat balance
Q= (T1 – T2)
t/k1A1 + x/k2A2 + 1/hA3
A1 =π (D1 + D2)*L
= 3.14(3 + 3.011)*19
A1 = 179.3 m2
A2 = π (D2 + D3)*L
= π (D2 + D2 + 2X)*L
= π (D2 + X)*L = 3.14(3.011 + X)*19
A2 = (179.6 + 59.66X) m2

A3 = π (D3)*L
= π (D2 + 2X)*L = 3.14(3.011 + 2X)*19
A3 = (359.3 + 119.3X) m2
Q = (T1 – T2)
t/k1A1 + x/k2A2 + 1/hA3
Q= T1 – T2
tk2A2hA3 + Xk1A1hA3 + k1A1k2A2
K1A1k2A2 hA3
Q = (T1 – T2) (k1A1k2A2hA3)
tk2A2hA3 + Xk1A1 hA3 + k2A2k1A1
4.55*10^4 = (160 – 88) (60.5*179.3*0.04(179.6 + 59.66X)* 8(359.3 + 119.3X))
0.00548*0.04*(179.6 + 59.66X)* 8(359.3 + 119.3X) + X (60.5*179.3)*8(359.3 +

119.3X) + 0.04*179.3*60.5*(179.6 + 59.66X)
4.55*10^11X2 + 1.4*10^12X = 2.4*10^10
Simplifying the above equation gives
X2 + 3X – 0.05 = 0
Solving equation (2) by using quadratic equation
X = 0.02 m = 20 mm
Therefore the thickness of the insulating material (wool = 0.02 m)
t wool = 0.02 m = 20 mm
D3 = D2 + 2X

= 3.011 + 2(0.02)
D3 = 3.051 m
Weight load calculation
Density of carbon steel = 7854 kg/m3
Inner diameter of shell = D1 = 3m
Diameter of shell = D2 = 3.011 m
Diameter of insulation material = D3 = 0.856 m
Density of insulation material (wool) = 130kg/m3
Diameter of header = D1 =3m
Volume of shell material = πD2*L*tshell
= π*3.011 *19 * 0.00548
= 0.984 m3
Weight of drier shell = density * volume * gravity
= 7854 * 0.984 * 9.8
W1 = 75.74 KN
Volume of insulation material = π (D32 –D22)*L
= π (3.0512 – 3.0112)*19
= 3.62m3

Weight of insulation material = density * volume *gravity
= 130 * 3.62 *9.8
W2 = 4.6KN
Volume of headers = π (D12 *t)
= π (3)2*0.00441
= 0.125m3
Headers are considered as carbon steel
Weight of headers = 2*(density*volume*gravity)
W3 = 2*(130 * 0.125) * 9.8
= 319N = 0.319KN
Weight of fluid = volume * density * gravity
= πD12*L*1000*9.8
= 3.14*(3)2*19*1000*9.8
W4 = 277KN
The total weight becomes the summation of all weight we have calculated
W = w1 + w2 + w3 + w4
= 75.74 KN + 4.6KN + 0.319KN + 277KN
= 357.66KN

Analysis of primary stresses between vessel and support
1. Pressure stress
L = PDi
4*t
= 0.1114* 3000
4* 5.48
L = 14.41N/mm2
= PDi
2*t
= 0.1114* 3000
2* 5.48
= 28.8N/mm
2. Dead weight stress

w = w
Π (Di + t)*t
= 357.66 kN
3.14(3000 +5.48)*5.48
w = 6.92 N/mm2

3. Bending stress
= Ml/Ih *D3/2
Ml = w *D3/2
= 357.66kN * 3.051 m/2
= 545.6 kNm = 5.456*10^11Nmm
Ih = Π/64 (D34 – D14)
= Π/64(30514 – 30004)
= 2.77*10^11 mm4
= 5.456*10^11Nmm * (3051mm/2)
2.77*10^11 mm4
= 3 KN/mm2
Resultant longitudinal stress
= +
= 14.41 N/mm2 + 6.92 N/mm2 3000N/mm2

Support design
The vessel we design is horizontal so we it is appropriate to choose saddle support
Weight load calculated = 357.66KN we can approximate this value to standard maximum
weight = 380KN. Then from table 13.26 page 844 Coulson and Richardson the standard
dimension of steel saddle support is given as follows. [7]
Dimension Bolt dimension
(m) ( mm)
Vessel Maximum Bolt Bolt

diameter
Weight V Y C E J G t2 t1 Dia. holes
(m)
(KN)
3 380 1.08 0.2 1.59 0.71 0.405 0.14 12 10 24 30
Table 5: Dimensions of Standard steel saddle support

CHAPTER SEVE
7. ECONOMIC EVALUATION
Total capital investment of any plant can be including in its side both fixed capital
investment and working capital investment.
Total capital investment is fixed capital investment plus working capital investment.
To estimate fixed capital investment of our plant, first find the cost of each equipment
cost. The costs of equipments were found to be 1986 and it is converted in to 2012 cost
using the cost index of both years. Some equipments size doesn’t match with our
calculated value and we have used scaling to determine their cost at their respective
parameter. [8]
7.1 FIXED CAPITAL INVESTMENT
A. Purchased equipment cost
No. Purchased equipment Quantity Unit price ($) Total price ($)
1 Hammer mill 1 9,000 9,000
2 Glass-lined, acid soak tanks 2 80,000 160,000
3 Rotary dryer 1 150,000 150,000
4 Rotary kilns 2 205,000 410,000
5 Rotary cooler 1 100,000 100,000
6 Glass-lined, acid wash tanks 2 80,000 160,000
7 Glass-lined, acid recovery tanks 2 83,000 166,000
8 Glass-lined, acid storage tanks 2 70,000 140,000
9 Rotary dryer 1 150,000 150,000
10 Sieve 3,000 3,000
Total equipment cost 1,448,000
Table 6: Purchased equipment cost

B. Equipment installation, insulation and painting = 25 – 55 % PEC, at 36% PEC
=0.36 *1,448,000
= $ 526,000
C .Instrumentation, control and its installation = 6 – 30 %, at 28% PEC
=0.28*1,448,000
= $405,000
D. Piping and material transport = 10 – 80 % PEC at 32% PEC
=0.32*1,448,000
=$462,000
E .Electrical and its installation = 10 – 40 % of PEC at 20% PEC
= 0.20*1,448,000
= $291,000
F .Building process and auxiliaries = 10 – 70 % of PEC at 20% PEC
= 0.20*%1,448,000
= $291,000
G. Yard improvement and Service facilities = 40 – 100 % of PEC at 68% PEC
= 0.68*% 1,448,000
= $988,000
H. Land = 4 – 8 % PEC at 4% PEC
= 0.04*1,448,000
= $57,000

Direct cost = A + B + C + D + E + F + G + H
=1,448,000 + 526,000 + 405,000 + 462,000 + 291,000 + 291,000 +988,000+57,000
=$ 4,468,000
 Engineering and supervision = 5 – 30 % of DC at 13% DC

=0.13*4468000
=$ 583,000
 Construction expense and contractor fee = 6 – 30 % DC at 18% DC

= 0.18*4468000
=$ 811,000
 Contingency = 5 – 15 % of DC at 11% DC
= 0.11*4468000
= 462,000
Indirect cost =583,000 +811,000 +462,000
= $1,856,000
Total fixed capital investment = Direct cost + Indirect cost
=$ 4,468,000 + $1,856,000
=$6,324,000

7.2 Manufacturing cost

Direct production cost
A. Raw material = 10 – 50 % TPC
Corn cob required per year =2700 ton/year
Unit price of corn cob = $ 0.003 / kg =$ 0.003 / kg* 2700000 kg/year =$8100/year
Unit price of potassium hydroxide pellet =$ 5 / kg =
$ 5 / kg* 116 kg/day KOH * 300 day/year =$17,400/year
Raw material cost =$8100/year + $17,400/year
=$182,100/year
Total production cost =$182100/year/0.10 =$1,821,000/year
B .Operating labor =10 – 20 % TPC at 10% TPC
=0.10*$1821000/year =$182,100/year
C .Direct super vision and clerical labor = 10 – 25% of OL at 10 OL
=0.10 *$182,100/year ==$18,210/year
D .Utilities = 10 – 20 % of TPC at 10% TPC
=0.10*$1,821,000/year =$182,100/year
E .Maintenance and repair = 2 – 10 % FCI at 4% of FCI
=0.04*$6,324,000 =$252,960
F .Operating supplies =0.5 – 1 % FCI at 1 % of FCI

=0.01*$6,324,000 = $63,240
G .Laboratory charge = 10 – 20 % OL at 10 OL
=0.10 *$182,100/year =$18,210/year
H .Patent and royalties = 0 – 6 % TPC at 1% TPC
=0.01*$1821000/year =$18,210/year
Indirect cost: - Indirect cost = fixed charge + plant over head
A. Fixed charge
 Deprecation = 10% of FCI
= 0.10 *$6,324,000 = $632,400
 Local tax = 3 % of FCI
=0.03*$6,324,000 = $189,720

 Insurance = 1% of FCI
=0.01*$6,324,000 = $63,240
B. plant overhead = 50 – 70 %of OL at 60 % of OL
= 0.6*$182,100/year = $109,260/year
Manufacturing cost = Direct cost + Fixed charge + plant overhead
= $917,130/year + $885,360/year + $109,260/year
= $1,911,750/year
Total capital investment = Total fixed capital investment + Manufacturing cost

= $6,324,000 + $1,911,750
=$8,235,750
7.3 Profitability evaluation
Gross profit = sales – TPC
 Sales
Product = 2,574 kg/day =2,574 kg/day *300 day/year = 772200 kg/year
1 kg of AC = $ 6.76
Sales = 772200 kg/year *$ 6.76/kg = $ 5,220,072/year
Gross profit = $ 5,220,072/year - $1,821,000/year
= $3,399,072 /year
Net profit = Gross profit – income tax
Income tax = 30% of sales = 0.30*$ 5,220,072/year = $1,566,022 /year
Net profit =$3,399,072 /year - $1,566,022 /year
= $1, 833, 050/year
Rate of Return on Investment (ROR) after tax
ROR = (Net profit/total capital investment)*100%
= $1, 833, 050 / $8,235,750
= 22 %
Payback period
Payback period= FCI/ (depreciation/year + net profit/year)
Payback period = 6,324,000 / (632,400 +1, 833, 050)
= 2.56 year

CHAPTER EIGHT
8. CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION
8.1 CONCLUSION
In addition to the identified raw materials corncobs, other raw materials such as coconut
shells, palm kernel shells and sawdust rice hulls and vegetable wastes can also be used to
produce activated carbon.
The results show that the activation temperature imposes the greatest effect on activated
carbon yield followed by activation time. Elevated temperature and longer residence time
inside the furnace results lower yield.
The adsorption studies showed that the activation was actually successful because the
experimental data were well fitted with the Langmuir model of adsorption, thus it
indicates that monolayer coverage of dye molecules at the outer surface of corn cob
carbon.
On the other hand, the contact time required in attending equilibrium was higher as the
initial concentration of dye solution was increasing. For example, in Figures, the time
required to achieve equilibrium was about 1 hour and for 100ppm and 3 hours and 20
minutes for 200ppm initial dye concentration.
In addition, the present study show that as the contact time between the molecules of the
dye solution and the corn cob carbon increases, the initial concentration of each solution
decreases and the adsorption capacity of adsorbent increased. Generally corn cob is freely
available; the utilization of corn cob to become activated carbon seems to be economical.

8.2 RECOMMENDATION
For further work we recommend that:-
 There are potential raw material resources such as coal for the production of
activated carbon but production cost and environmental impact is high. Since
corn cob is freely available, it is better to produce activated carbon from corn cob
to meet local industrial needs.
 There is miss use of corn cob in the society. Most of the society uses it for local
energy fuel and cattle fed and the reaming corn cob is wasted in the farm land but
using in such manner is not economically significant. Thus we recommend
converting this by product in to high valuable activated carbon.
 Comparative analysis on the effects of activating agent such as KOH ZnCl2,
H3PO4 and impregnation ratio of activator and corn cob should be carried out.
 For quality carbon production during pyrolysis/carbonization step, the
pyrolysis/carbonization process should be carried out under controlled nitrogen
gas flow rather than using aluminum foil and soil to create inert environment.
 Testing on the applicability and analysis on the adsorption properties of other
crop residues should be carried out.

REFERENCE
1. W.T. Tsai , C.Y. Chang , S.Y. Wang , C.F. Chang , Cleaner production of carbon
adsorbents by utilizing agricultural waste corn cob, Graduate Institute of
Environmental Engineering, National Taiwan University, Taipei 106, Taiwan.
2. Subhashree Pradhan, Production and characterization of Activated Carbon
produced from a suitable Industrial sludge.
3. O.Ioannidou, A. Zabaniotou, Chemical Engineering Department, Aristotle
University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Greece. Agricultural residues as
precursors for activated carbon production—A review.
4. Chilton Ng, Wayne Marshall, Ramu M. Rao, Rishipal R. Bansode, Jack N. Losso
and Ralph J. Portier, Granular Activated Carbons from Agricultural By-products.
5. W.T. Tsai , C.Y. Chang , S.Y. Wang , C.F. Chang, Graduate Institute of
Environmental Engineering, National Taiwan University, Taipei 106, Taiwan;
Cleaner production of carbon adsorbents by utilizing agricultural waste corn cob
6. Man Kee Lam, Ridzuan Zakaria, School of Chemical Engineering, Engineering
Campus, Universiti Sains Malaysia, 14300, Nibong Tebal, Penang, Malaysia,
production of activated carbon from sawdust using fluidized bed reactor.
7. Coulson & Richardson's chemical engineering, 3rd edition, volume 6.
8. Max S.Peters and Klaus D.Timmerhaus plant design and economics for chemical
engineers, 4th edition.

Activated Carbon Final

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Activated Carbon Final

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

PRODUCTION AND CHARACTERIZATION OF ACTIVATED CARBON FROM CORN COB 2005/2013

SCHOOL OF CHEMICAL AND FOOD ENGINEERING

BDU/IOT CHED Page i

List of figures ................................................................................................................ vi

List of tables ................................................................................................................. vii

List of abbreviations .................................................................................................... viii

1.2 Statement of the problem ........................................................................................2

1.3 Objective ................................................................................................................2

1.4 Scope and Limitation..............................................................................................2

CHAPTER TWO .............................................................................................................3

2. LITERATURE REVIEW ............................................................................................3

2.1 Classification of activated carbon ...........................................................................5

2.2 Properties of activated carbon.................................................................................7

2.3 Applications of activated carbon.............................................................................7

2.4 Production Technology options ..............................................................................9

2.4.1 Physical activation ...........................................................................................9

2.4.2 Chemical activation .........................................................................................9

2.4.3 Chemical activation as a selected technology ................................................. 10

2.4.4 Description and flow diagram of Chemical activation Process ....................... 10

CHAPTER THREE ....................................................................................................... 13

3.MATERIAL AND METHOD .................................................................................... 13

BDU/IOT CHED Page i

3.1 Materials used ...................................................................................................... 13

3.2 Chemical used ...................................................................................................... 13

3.3 Methodology ........................................................................................................ 13

3.4 Characterization methods of activated carbon ....................................................... 16

CHAPTER FOUR ......................................................................................................... 18

4.RESULT AND DISCUSSION.................................................................................... 18

4.1 Characterization of corn cob ................................................................................. 18

4.2 Discussion on adsorption isotherm of synthesized activated carbon ...................... 24

CHAPTER FIVE ........................................................................................................... 29

5.MATERIAL AND ENERGY BALANCE .................................................................. 29

5.1 Material balance ................................................................................................... 29

5.2 Energy balance ..................................................................................................... 32

CHAPTER SIX ............................................................................................................. 37

6.SIZING AND MECHANICAL DESIGN OF ROTARY DRIER ................................ 37

6.1 Mechanical design of rotary drier ......................................................................... 38

CHAPTER SEVE .......................................................................................................... 47

7.1 Fixed capital investment ....................................................................................... 47

7.2 Manufacturing cost............................................................................................... 50

7.3 Profitability evaluation ......................................................................................... 51

CHAPTER EIGHT ........................................................................................................ 52

8.CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION ........................................................... 52

8.1 Conclusion ........................................................................................................... 52

8.2 Recommendation ................................................................................................. 53

BDU/IOT CHED Page ii

COUNTER SIGN BY THE HEAD OF THE DEPARTMENT

APPROVAL OF EXAMINING COMMITTEE

1. Name of the examiner:

2. Name of the examiner:

3. Name of the examiner:

BDU/IOT CHED Page iii

BDU/IOT CHED Page iv

BDU/IOT CHED Page v

Figure 1: Process flow diagram of chemical activation Process…………………….....12

Figure 3: The effect of temperature on the yield of carbon …………………………….23

Figure 7: The graph of Langmuir adsorption isotherm…………………………………28

BDU/IOT CHED Page vi

Table 1: Some physical properties of corn cob……………………………………….19

Table 2: Yield of carbon at different pyrolysis temperature and time...……………...23

Table 3: Adsorption capacity of samples at different time interval ………………….25

Table 5: Dimensions of Standard steel saddle support………………………………..46

Table 6: Purchased equipment cost…………………………………………………...47