Mesoporous carbons were synthesized from fructose using activators of zinc silicate (ZS), zinc borate (ZB), and zinc borosilicate (ZBS). The synthesis involves 3 steps, including caramelization of sugar, carbonization of caramel, and washing of carbon to separate the activator from the carbon. The solid products were characterized by N2 gas adsorption-desorption, X-ray diffraction, FTIR spectrophotometry, and Transmission Electron Microscopy. The pore characterizations of the carbons indicate that in ZBS system, ZB may have the role as mesopore size controller, whereas silica component may improve porosity created by ZB without changing the size. This role of ZB may be connected to it’s performance as catalyst of caramelization and it’s crystalinity, as supported by measurement of caramel intermediete and characterization of the activators with X-ray diffraction. The infrared spectra confirms that the carbons’s surfaces have C=O, C-O, and O-H functional groups. The XRD patterns of the carbons show that all activators create the turbotratic carbons.

The adsorption of Reactive Blue 171 (Reactive Dye) from aqueous solution using activated carbon prepared from Albizia amara pod shell waste as an adsorbent have been carried out. The experimental adsorption data fitted reasonably well to Langmuir and Freundlich adsorption isotherms. Kinetic parameters as a function of Initial dye concentration have been calculated and the kinetic data were substituted in Pseudo First Order, Elovich and Pseudo Second order equations. A probable explanation is offered to account for the results of kinetic study. The thermodynamic parameter enthalpy change (?H) suggests the exothermic nature of absorption of Reactive Blue 171 onto activated Albizia amara pod shell waste carbon.

Longan seed based activated carbon has been used for the adsorption of lead ions from aqueous solution in a fixed-bed double column set up. The effects of initial concentration of lead ion (20, 30, 40, and 50 ppm) and initial solution pH (4, 7, and 9) were studied to determine the maximum uptake of lead ion at room temperature. It was observed that the adsorption of lead ions onto activated carbon depends on initial pH and initial concentration of lead ions. The optimal value of pH was established as 7. A breakthrough period of approximately 9 h was established for continuous adsorption of lead from a 40 ppm solution at pH 4. The lead ion concentrations in the effluents were below 0.05 ppm during the first 7 h of adsorption.

We present the performance of dry sliding metal-metal wear performance of AISI SS410 and Ti-C-N coated specimens at room temperature. In this investigation, the ball cratering abrasive wear testing method was used with a various loads of 2N, 3N and 4N, with total sliding distance of 353.43 m and at a constant sliding speed of 0.3927 ms-1. In this testing machine the abrasive ball of high carbon steel with 750 HV at 100 g load is rotated against the Ti-C-N composite coated and uncoated AISI SS410. The worn surfaces were examined with scanning electron microscopy (SEM) (with EDAX attachment). The more grooving region, pits, ploughing ridge were found on the worn surface of the high carbon steel.

Microporous activated carbon was prepared from sticky rice straw using activated phosphoric acid. The effects of carbonization temperature, activation temperature, and phosphoric acid on physical and chemical properties of charcoals and activated carbon were studied. The rice straw was carbonized between 300 °C and 700 °C and activated between 600 °C and 800 °C with phosphoric acid using a weight to volume ratio of 1:2 (charcoal:H3PO4). It was found that the suitable carbonization temperature for rice straw charcoal preparation is 600 °C. The micropore of activated carbon made from rice straw based charcoal increased with increasing activation temperature from 600 °C to 800 °C. This phenomenon was confirmed by the iodine number and SEM micrographs. The iodine number of activated carbons produced in this work was in the range from 1137 mg/g to 1762 mg/g.