Activated carbon from melamine-impregnated paper

Activated carbon was prepared from waste melamine-impregnated paper (MIP) by pyrolysis with activation by NaOH. The adsorption parameters such as carbonization temperature (300, 350, 400, 450 °C), NaOH to C ratio (2:1, 3:1, 4:1, 5:1), and initial methylene blue (MB) dye concentration (20 to 600 mg/L) were studied. The adsorption results were fit by the Langmuir isotherm model and pseudo-second order kinetics. It was found that the activated carbon from MIP had a maximum adsorption capacity of 497 mg/g at 400 °C (carbonization temperature) and NaOH to C ratio (2:1). The highest removal of methylene blue (MB) via activated carbon was 99.4%. The π-π interaction between dye molecules and MIP active carbon was proposed to be a primary driving force for dye adsorption. This activated carbon adsorbent based on MIP was shown to be highly promising for water decontamination applications.