Cellulose Reinvented

Desired outcome

One of our clients (owner of the charcoal production facility) is interested in developing the original activated carbon production methods. Activated carbon is used the filter (adsorbent) material efficiently for over a century and this should be possible on the existing line of our client (state of the art pyrolisis furnaces, 10 of them).

Initial Problem Description

Bosnia and Herzegovina is importing over 1000 tonnes of activated carbon annually, intended mostly for water treatment. This is absurd given that activated carbon is produced exclusively from the cellulose primary or secondary raw materials which are available in Bosnia and Herzegovina in abundance. Thus, our client, who is already established charcoal producer, would like to see scientific data available for bases of the business plan to produce 100% bosnian raw material-based activated carbon and distributed to the domestic industry. For this, our client already poses the full technology and the production line, the only question is to have original method and to base it on the domestic raw materials (both cellulose and the activation agent).

Context

Production of the activated carbon by impregnation in mineral salts and subsequent pyrolysis is a well established method, multiple if not dozens of methods are fully available in the international literature. However, our client wants to have the activation agent (mineral salt) that is available in Bosnia and Herzegovina, e.g. that is domestic resource and does not have to be imported. Of course the reason for such condition to us is that geopolitical situation in the world is highly influencing the availability of such raw materials, imported usually from Asia or Australia.

Connection to cross-cutting areas

Producing the activated carbon from the cellulose waste is already one of the most typical circular economy examples. Moreover, it largely reduces the quantities of the agricultural or wood industry cellulose waste which is problematic not only because of the space taking, but as its rotting causes the greenhouse gases emission (especially carbon dioxide and methane). Next, by producing the own activated carbon a country becomes self-sustainable in terms of this very important filter material, which can be used for filtration of the drinking water, treatment of the waste water but also for filtering the air in the industrial workspace which is very important. Activated carbon is also possible to recycle ("wash up") multiple times which makes it even more reasonable to use. Finally, import of the activated carbon to Bosnia and Herzegovina or other European countries, does not make sense in terms of enormous carbon footprint of transporting it. Yet, this is exactly happening at this moment.

Input

We are aiming at potentially using the fly ash from one the Bosnian thermal plants as the alkaline mineral source. These secondary mineral raw materials are accumulated in this country in the hundreds of tons daily. Thus, if their analysis confirm that they do not accumulate toxic metals, than, they might be used as the swelling and activation agent for the cellulose waste materials.

Expectations

We expect students to perform the AAS metal analysis of the fly ash samples to confirm the mineral composition (hopefully exclude the toxic metals). Due to our role in education on circular economy in the national industry, we were able to collect properly conservated samples of the fly ashes and will provide them to students.
Next, we would like also to see the XRF analysis and maybe also BET specific surface measurements along with some microscopy.
Finally we would also like to see students involvement in approximations of available cellulose waste which we will then discuss with the national agricultural cooperative association (to verify and gain their interest).

Desired Team Profile

Students might be from the chemical technology departments, chemistry departments, also, maybe even the mechanical engineering students who understand the thermal power plants functioning.
Next, since we would like some approximations on the economics (availability of the raw materials, length of their transport to our client in Banja Luka etc.) economy or business students might also be from the business, circular economy, or simply economy departments as well.

Additional Information

Some additional hints:
-our client is located in the Incel industrial zone in Banja Luka (has annual revenue of about 2 M EUR and is interested in employing student with good idea
-one of the potentially best cellulose waste sourced might be plum stone due to its availability and extensive use in production of spirit, jams and juices
-capacity of the furnaces is about the 3000 L of volume which can be used for some calculations of the economic value

Related Keywords

• Industrial manufacturing, Material and Transport Technologies
• Agriculture and Marine Resources
• Protecting Man and Environment
• Industrial Products