Characterization of Activated Carbon Prepared from Citrus Sinensis (Orange) Peels by X-ray Fluorescence Spectroscopy (XRF)

Abstract

The orange (specifically, the sweet orange) is the fruit of the citrus species Citrus sinensis in the family rutaceae. Citrus sinensis (orange) fruit is one of the common traditional plants grown in many areas in India. The wastes of the Citrus sinensis (orange) fruit called orange peels were used to prepare activated carbon through chemical activation method. The activated carbon is an excellent adsorbent and its applications are widely described in literature. During adsorption, different elements and their concentration present in the activated carbon play an important role. Therefore, elemental analysis of activated carbon is required. X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy (XRF) was used to determine quantitatively the elements present in activated carbon from Citrus sinensis (orange) peels. The result shows presence of fifteen elements with their concentration.