SYNTHESIS AND CHARACTERIZATION OF ADSORBENT FOR HYDROGEN STORAGE

Hydrogen is current potential for new energy applications. Thus, Methods of hydrogen
storage have been widely discussed for the advancement of hydrogen and fuel cell power
technologies since the problem of hydrogen storage has become the bottleneck for
adoption of hydrogen as energy carrier. The objective of this research is to record the
detailed experiment procedure to synthesize and characterize the adsorbent developed
from sugarcane bagasse. The scope of project work includes the synthesis of adsorbent
produced from environmentally friendly agriculture waste - sugarcane bagasse which
consists of high cellulose content, and followed by the characterization of the new series
of chemically activated carbon. Important findings and discussion of the research work
are also discussed. Activating agent of ZnCl2, KOH and NaOH solutions with different
concentration were used for chemical activation before undergoing the carbonaceous
stage. The sample is washed with distilled water before characterization is performed.
Effect of type of activating agent and its concentration on the porosity development were
discussed. Characterization criteria of porosity, pore size distribution, surface roughness
using SEM and carbon content using EDX analysis were discussed in Chapter 4. The
SEM images show that the smooth, spongy and uniform pore structure is obtained by
activation ofKOH and NaOH solutions if compared with ZnCk activated carbon. Other
criteria such as specific surface area, micropore surface area, pore volume, density, and
pyrolysis condition that will affect the hydrogen adsorption were also discussed in
literature review and discussion.