Comparative Adsorption Capacity of Modified Activated Carbon from Pennisetum Glaucum and Sorghum Bicolor.

O. A. Babatunde, S. Garba, Z. N. Ali

Abstract: The influence of surface modification of activated carbons prepared from straws of Pennisetum glaucum (millet) and Sorghum bicolor (sorghum) with nitric acid and sodium hydroxide showed excellent improvement in their surface characteristics. The effects of the oxidizing treatments on the surface area, pore dimension and surface chemical characteristics were analyzed by means of iodine adsorption, Fourier transform infrared and scanning electron microscopy analyses. Results obtained showed that modification with nitric acid increased the adsorptive capacity of the activated carbon samples to a greater extent compared to sodium hydroxide

Keywords: Pennisetum glaucum, Sorghum bicolor, surface chemical modification, adsorptive capacity