Producción de carbón activado a partir de la caña guadua (Guadua Angustifolia K.) mediante activación química con hidróxido de potasio

Abstract

In the present study it were determinate the best conditions for the activated coal production from caña guadua using potassium hydroxide (KOH) like activated agent. Physical and chemical characterization of caña guadua resulted what caña guadua has 15,5 % of fixed coal in mass and their chemical composition is 31,1 % in mass of lignin, 41,1 % of cellulose and 21,1 % of hemicellulose. The best conditions of temperature and time carbonization was a 600 ºC and 2 hours. Under this conditions the coal produced has an 83,8 % of fixed coal. These conditions were used in the semi industrial Nichols Herreshoff oven where 4 kg of caña guadua were carbonized. In the first 30 minutes of operation, the coal produced has an 74,9 % of fixed coal. The activation parameters that were evaluated are activation temperature, activation time and KOH mass for each caña guadua coal mass (g KOH/ g C.C.G.). At 800 ºC of temperature, by 3 hours and a g KOH/g C.C.G relation equal to 2 resulted in a powdered activated coal with a maximum iodine number of 713 mg I2/g C.A. These parameters were used again in the semi industrial Nichols Herreshoff oven at an 800 ºC during 5 hours. The semi industrial activated coal produced has a maximum iodine number of 661 mg I2/g C.A. The economical analysis for the construction of a production plant of activated coal based on caña guadua located in Pichincha´s province was studied. This analysis concluded what if the ended price of activated coal is 3,85 $/kg the project has a IRR equal to 16 % and a NPV of 14 313,49 $, considered a profitable project.