Utilizing Agricultural Waste-Derived Activated Carbon Ash with Rapid Microwave Digestion Method to Treat Industrial Waste Water

The present study pertains to a rapid microwave digestion process aimed at producing activated carbon ash (ACA) from wheat straw, which serves as a sustainable and eco-friendly raw material for this innovative technique. Initially, wheat straw powder is crushed and subjected to hot air oven drying. Subsequently, the dried material is introduced into a microwave digestion system along with a 1:10 ratio of hydrochloric acid (35–37%). The optimization of the microwave digestion process involves temperature variation within the range of 110–130 °C for a duration of 10–15 min. After the digestion process, a charred product is obtained, and the activation products are thoroughly rinsed with distilled water until the removal of Cl− ions. Following this, ACA is generated through a drying procedure. The key advantage of this novel method is the rapid creation of ACA at a temperature of 120 °C within just 10 min, without the generation of airborne particles. It is important to note that this technique falls within the domain of agriculture technology. Characterization of the final product is carried out using analytical techniques such as Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX). The ACA obtained from this process exhibits promising properties in terms of color removal and methylene blue (MB) absorbency from industrial wastewater. The ACA derived from agricultural waste exhibits numerous advantages, including its cost-effectiveness, straightforward and rapid operation, adaptability for large-scale production, and strong competitiveness in the market.