Efficiency of Activated Carbon from Date Palm Leaf Sheath in Removing of Methylene Blue from Aqueous Solution: Pyrolysis Optimisation

Pyrolysis is a solution using thermochemical processes to recover solid waste. The conditions for pyrolysis of activated carbon from palm leaf sheath have been optimized. The best results in terms of Methylene Blue removal efficiency were obtained for chemical activation in sulfuric acid (H2SO4) 96% for a period of 2 h at room temperature (30 °C), and a ratio 1:3. Carbonization was carried out by conventional heating at different temperatures (from 350 to 450 °C) and for different durations of 1.5–2.5 h. The best dye removal efficiency (87.8%) was observed for pyrolysis carried out at 450 °C and 2.5 h. The effects of temperature and duration of pyrolysis were studied using an experimental design. The final removal efficiency after activation was modeled as a first-order polynomial model: \(Yield = 32.435 + 0.074 \times Temperature + 4.803 \times time\)