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Sodium-lignosulfonate derived activated carbon: an investigation into the role of NaOH in the activation mechanism

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Abstract

We produced an activated carbon using sodium-lignosulfonate, in which we investigated how the sodium salt in lignin served as the activating agent during heat treatment. Our process resulted in a product with a high specific surface area of 1324 m2/g at 800 °C and microporous structure. During the activation process, we observed the consumption of carbon due to the dehydration reaction of NaOH and the reduction of Na2CO3 to metallic Na, which created pores through oxidation/reduction reactions. The intercalation of metallic Na between the lattices at high temperatures formed additional pores and increased the specific surface area. Our proposed mechanism holds promise for enhancing the control of the microstructure and porosity of activated carbons through the thermal treatment of biomass.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF) (2021R1I1A305628711). This work was also supported by the Agency for Defense Development and the Korean Government (UD2200061D).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Interdisciplinary Graduate School of Engineering Sciences, Kyushu University, 6-1 Kasuga-koen, Kasuga, Fukuoka, 816-8580, Japan

    Jueun Choi

  2. Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, 291 Daehak-ro, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon, 34141, Republic of Korea

    Go Bong Choi

  3. Department of Polymer Engineering and Graduate School, School of Polymer Science and Engineering, Chonnam National University, 77 Yongbong-ro, Buk-gu, Gwangju, 61186, Republic of Korea

    Sol Bin Seo, Yu Rim Choi, Min Kang & Yoong Ahm Kim

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  1. Jueun Choi
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Correspondence to Yoong Ahm Kim.

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Choi, J., Choi, G.B., Seo, S.B. et al. Sodium-lignosulfonate derived activated carbon: an investigation into the role of NaOH in the activation mechanism. Carbon Lett. 33, 1819–1826 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s42823-023-00522-2

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