Evaluation of activated carbons produced from by-products sugar crops grown in Egypt: I. Chemical composition of starting materials

In an attempt to produce some active carbons (AC ) in Egypt, various by-products of sugar crops (sugar cane bagasse (SCB), sugar cane trash (SCT), dry sugar beet pulp (SBP) and molasses) were examined chemically and technologically to test their suitability as starting raw materials for preparation of AC of good efficiency. Chemical analysis revealed that SBP had the highest ash and crude protein contents. SCT gave the highest ether extract, while, the Sugar cane bagasse SCB exhibited the highest content in total carbohydrates and crude fibers. Molasses exhibited the highest content in reducing and non-reducing sugars, while the other by-products recorded lower values. Cellulose and lignin had a range of 32.75-34.57% and 1.93-16.35% on dry basis, respectively, in all sugar crops by-products. Dry SBP had the highest content in calcium. Beet molasses contained the highest content in potassium sodium, while the cane molasses contained the highest content in iron. The different starting materials were handled in the laboratory in different combinations and subjected to carbonization and activation and binder addition procedures to introduce eventually 24 treatments of produced experimental AC´s using different chemical and physical activation steps during AC´s preparation.