Characterization and Environmental Performance of Activated Carbons based on Agricultural Bio-waste
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.22517/23447214.26076Keywords:
Biowaste, Life Cycle Assessment, Porous Materials, Solar AdsorptionAbstract
Solar adsorption refrigeration is a suitable alternative for rural regions without reliable access to electricity, and its performance strongly depends on the adsorbent–refrigerant pair employed. Activated carbons derived from agricultural bio-waste offer a low‑cost and environmentally favorable option; however, most studies have focused exclusively on optimizing their physicochemical properties without integrating the environmental assessment of their production processes. This work addresses this gap by evaluating the technical and environmental performance of activated carbons obtained through physical activation of peach pits, plum pits, and almond shells, with the purpose of identifying the most appropriate material for adsorption solar refrigeration using methanol. The materials were produced through carbonization and activation with carbon dioxide and characterized to determine their textural structure, surface morphology, chemical composition, and thermal behavior. The activated carbon produced from almond shells showed the highest specific surface area, as well as greater pore volume and pore size, characteristics that enhance methanol adsorption and desorption. In parallel, the environmental impacts associated with the production of each material were assessed through a life cycle assessment, revealing that activated carbons derived from almond shells exhibited the best overall environmental performance. The results demonstrate that the valorization of fruit biowaste enables the production of technically efficient and environmentally advantageous adsorbent materials for solar refrigeration applications, highlighting the relevance of combining material characterization with environmental evaluation in the development of sustainable technologies
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