title: Spent coffee-based activated carbon: specific surface features and their importance for H2S separation process.
abstract: Activated carbons were prepared from spent ground coffee. Zinc chloride was used as an activation agent. The obtained materials were used as a media for separation of hydrogen sulfide from air at ambient conditions. The materials were characterized using adsorption of nitrogen, elemental analysis, SEM, FTIR, and thermal analysis. Surface features of the carbons depend on the amount of an activation agent used. Even though the residual inorganic matter takes part in the H(2)S retention via salt formation, the porous surface of carbons governs the separation process. The chemical activation method chosen resulted in formation of large volume of pores with sizes between 10 and 30Å, optimal for water and hydrogen sulfide adsorption. Even though the activation process can be optimized/changed, the presence of nitrogen in the precursor (caffeine) is a significant asset of that specific organic waste. Nitrogen functional groups play a catalytic role in hydrogen sulfide oxidation.
authors.affiliation: The Department of Chemistry, The City College of New York and the Graduate School of the City University of New York, 160 Convent Avenue, New York, NY 10031, USA.
authors.forename: Karifala
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kante
authors.forename: Cesar
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Nieto-Delgado
authors.forename: J Rene
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Rangel-Mendez
authors.forename: Teresa J
authors.initials: TJ
authors.lastname: Bandosz
mesh_terms: D000327:Adsorption; D000393:Air Pollutants / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D002606:Charcoal / Q000737:chemistry*; D040503:Coffea / Q000737:chemistry*; D006862:Hydrogen Sulfide / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D008855:Microscopy, Electron, Scanning; D016062:Porosity; D012037:Refuse Disposal; D012639:Seeds / Q000737:chemistry*; D017550:Spectroscopy, Fourier Transform Infrared; D013499:Surface Properties; D013818:Thermogravimetry
chemical_list: D000393:Air Pollutants; D002606:Charcoal; D006862:Hydrogen Sulfide