Thermocatalytic Conversion of Coal Soot to Carbon Nanorods

Abstract

In the current investigation, an attempt was made to prepare carbon nanorods (CNRs) thermocatalytically from coal soot. The pristine soot was characterized to determine the level of various physicochemical parameters such as ash, moisture, volatile matter and fixed carbon, surface area, pore volume, and pore diameter. The soot sample was heated at 800°C in inert atmosphere in the presence and absence of powdered iron as a catalyst for different time intervals of 5 hours and 10 hours. Extraction of the nanorods from the carbonized soot was carried out by vat stirring method using chlorobenzene as solvent. The samples were analyzed by Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM). The results showed that the CNRs aroused from the soot particles have different sizes, arrangements, and surfaces. The average length of the CNRs was 1.00–1.4 μm and average diameter was 300 ± 50 nm. The Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopic (FT-IR) and UV-Visible Spectrophotometric studies showed that the CNRs structures obtained after 5 hours heating (Ф ) and 10 hours heating ( ψ ) have similarities to fullerenic materials (C₆₀ and C₇₀). The energy dispersive X-Rays (EDX) study revealed that both Ф and ψ samples contain only carbon and oxygen. The level of carbon was 95.5% in ψ, which was higher than that in Ф (83.79%). The SEM micrograph of chlorbenzene extract of pristine soot sample heated to 800°C in the absence of iron catalyst showed no evidence of the presence of carbon nanorods. The results showed that the use of iron was beneficial and cost effective for the thermocatalytic conversion of coal soot to carbon nanorods.

Keywords:

• Soot
• metal
• thermocatalytic conversion
• carbon nanorods
• fullerene