The Effectiveness of Pahae Natural Zeolite–Cocoa Shell Activated Charcoal Nanofilter as a Water Adsorber in Bioethanol Purification

Abstract

Pahae natural zeolite potentially can be used as a filtration material because of its high adsorption capacity. However, it is known that other supportive materials such as activated charcoal are needed to optimize the utilization of natural zeolite as an adsorber. This study aims to investigate the potential use of activated charcoal which was synthesized from cocoa shells waste and natural zeolite in nanosize as the adsorber in order to increase the concentration of bioethanol. The mixing process of nanozeolite and activated charcoal of cocoa shells was carried out through mechanical mixing, while the nanofilter was made using a press-printing technique followed by sintering at several temperature variations. The results showed that the activated zeolite produced in this study has a particle size of 118.4 nm with water absorption capacity of 52.08%. In line with that, the bioethanol concentration was increased up to 78.92% during the adsorption with a 45 min contact time with water vapor. Thus, based on the results, it can be concluded that nanosized zeolite-based adsorbents and activated charcoal produced from cocoa shells can be utilized as adsorbers to significantly increase the concentration of bioethanol generated.

Synthesis of a novel multifunctional organic–inorganic nanocomposite for metal ions and organic dye removals

“…Many studies have shown that carbon-based materials like activated carbon can be used as an effective absorbent for the removal of organic materials such as methylene blue in a high capacity 31 , 32 . The large surface area of carbon-based materials also support their ability in capturing heavy metals 33 , 34 . Recently, several studies have indicated that zeolite and activated carbon made from mechano-synthesis can be used in environmental applications 35 – 37 .…”

The characterization of Pahae Natural Zeolite and its application on ammonium removal

“…As per the analysis findings, using hydrothermal zeolited activated employed as a filling material within the filter is acknowledged to enhance the water absorption capacity. The water absorption value is positively correlated with the porosity level, suggesting that greater pores or cavities in the zeolite lead to higher water absorption rates [15][16][17][18].…”

“…Outside the zeolite, positively charged ions (cations) like Mg 2+ , Ca 2+ , Na + , K + balance the negative charge within the pores [12]. These cations are weakly bonded to the aluminosilicate structure through electrostatic interactions, allowing them to be exchanged with other cations in solution [13][14][15]. The unique structure of natural zeolites enables them to excel in cation exchange, adsorption, and molecular sieving processes.…”

Preparation and Characterization of Cocoa Shell - Pahae Natural Zeolite as a Metal Adsorption Material for Iron (Fe) and Manganese (Mn) in Water

“…Zeolite, characterized by an abundance of pores and channels, is another effective adsorbent. The cylindrical shape of zeolite's pores and channels enhances its surface area, and greater pore density corresponds to increased overall surface area [9][10][11][12][13][14]. A prior study demonstrated the efficacy of cocoa husk adsorbent in reducing iron (Fe) and manganese (Mn) content by 97.59% and 90.95%, respectively [15].…”