Electrochemical Characterization of Activated Carbon to Assess the Electro-Sorption of Trivalent Chromium

Abstract

Capacitive deionization has appeared a few years ago as a technology focused to desalination, which, by applying a small potential difference between electrodes promotes the removal of ionic content from the effluent. This condition make itself attractive as a purification or desalination method. Main focus research of this technology is toward to the electrode materials, looking for large surface areas. This is the case of activated carbon, known for its ability to retain ions and molecules thanks to its large surface area. So, in this work the electro-sorption capacity of 3 different samples of activated carbon from four substrates has been evaluated: date, medlar, olive and apricot stones. Specific capacitance was obtained through cyclic voltammetry experiments, using a range of 1 V, exploring the current associated with the induced adsorption and therefore the capacitance per gram that the materials were available to offer.