In preparation and characterization of adsorbent obtained from corn curbs, potassium hydroxide was used as an activating agent at ratio of 1:1, 7:8 and 3:4 with the corn curbs and their pH values were found to be 8.5, 8.03 and 8.0 respectively, ash content were found to be 41.56, 46.78 and 48.31wt%. The BET surface area values were 17.762461, 25.455146 and 201.54631m2/g respectively and the best activated carbon formulation arrived was 3:4 AC.
INTRODUCTION
An adsorbent is a porous membrane, granular beds with high surface area that can adsorb substance onto its surface by intermolecular forces. Due to the fact that solute can be distributed between the adsorbent surface and a mobile phase, adsorbents are used as stationary phases in gas, solid and liquid solid chromatography. Adsorbents are also used for extraction purposes removing of traces of organic materials from large volumes of water very efficiently (of solid phase extraction devices). One of the most common example of adsorbent is the activated carbon.
Activated carbon is a product of carbonisation and activation of carbonaceous materials. These processes result in production of large surface area, and provide the carbon with the ability to adsorb gases and vapours from gases or dissolved and dispersed substances from liquids. It has been regarded as a unique and versatile adsorbent because of its extended surface area, microporous structure, high adsorption capacity, and high degree of surface reactivity. The adsorptive property lends the carbon to a wide range of applications, the demand for activated carbon is increasing partly due to its use in industries in solution purification and solvent reclamation, and in research laboratories as decolorizing agents and catalyst support. (Odebumi, 2001)
Generally, the raw materials for the production of AC are those with high carbon but low inorganic contents such as wood, lignite, peat and coal. Besides that, lot of agricultural waste and by product have successfully converted to AC for examples macadamia nutshell, paper mill sludge and peach stones. In Malaysia there are potential raw materials resources for the production of the activated carbon. (Nurul'ain, 2007). Yet activated carbon is not readily available locally and the quantity consumed in Nigeria is largely imported.
