title: Quality of poultry litter-derived granular activated carbon.
abstract: Utilization of poultry litter as a source material for generating activated carbon is a value-added and environmentally beneficial approach to recycling organic waste. In this study, the overall quality of poultry litter-derived granular activated carbon was systematically evaluated based on its various physical and chemical properties. Granular activated carbon generated from pelletized poultry litter following a typical steam-activation procedure possessed numerous micropores in the matrix. The product exhibited a mean particle diameter of 2.59 mm, an apparent density of 0.45 g cm(-3), a ball-pan hardness of 91.0, an iodine number of 454 mg g(-1), and a BET surface area of 403 m(2) g(-1). It contained high ash, nitrogen, phosphorus contents and the trace elements Cu, Zn, and As. Most of the nutrients and toxic elements were solidified and solution-unextractable. In general, poultry litter-based activated carbon demonstrated overall quality comparable to that of low-grade commercial activated carbon derived from coconut shell and bituminous coal. It is promising to use poultry litter as a feedstock to manufacture activated carbon for wastewater treatment.
authors.affiliation: Department of Agriculture and Natural Resources, Delaware State University, Dover, DE 19901, USA.
authors.forename: Guannan
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Qiu
authors.forename: Mingxin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Guo
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001512:Bedding and Linens; D002606:Charcoal / Q000138:chemical synthesis*; D019245:Compressive Strength; D003247:Conservation of Natural Resources / Q000379:methods; D005241:Feathers / Q000737:chemistry*; D007220:Industrial Waste / Q000032:analysis*; D008372:Manure / Q000032:analysis*; D011200:Poultry; D012037:Refuse Disposal / Q000379:methods*; D013227:Steam
chemical_list: D007220:Industrial Waste; D008372:Manure; D013227:Steam; D002606:Charcoal