Activated carbons from avocado seed: optimisation and application for removal of several emerging organic compounds

In this study, avocado seed was successfully used as raw material for producing activated carbons by conventional pyrolysis. In order to determine the best condition to produce the activated carbons, a 2² full-factorial design of experiment (DOE) with three central points was employed by varying the temperature and time of pyrolysis. The two evaluated factors (temperature and time of pyrolysis) strongly influenced the SBET, pore volumes, hydrophobicity–hydrophilicity ratio (HI) and functional groups values; both factors had a negative effect over SBET, pore volumes and functional groups which means that increasing the values of factors leads to decrease of these responses; on the other hand, with regards to HI, both factors caused a positive effect which means that increasing their values, the HI has an enhancement over its values. The produced activated carbon exhibited high specific surface areas in the range of 1122–1584 m² g⁻¹. Surface characterisation revealed that avocado seed activated carbons (ASACs) have hydrophilic surfaces and have predominantly acidic groups on their surfaces. The prepared ASACs were employed in the adsorption of 25 emerging organic compounds such as 10 pharmaceuticals and 15 phenolic compounds which presented high uptake values for all emerging pollutants. It was observed that the activated carbon prepared at higher temperature of pyrolysis (700 °C), which generated less total functional groups and presented higher HI, was the activated carbon with higher sorption capacity for uptaking emerging organic contaminants. Based on results of this work, it is possible to conclude that avocado seed can be employed as a raw material to produce high surface area and very efficient activated carbons in relation to treatment of polluted waters with emerging organic pollutants.