Obtaining activated carbon from <i>Salix babylonica</i> leaf wastes and its use in wastewater treatment

Abstract In this study, Salix babylonica leaf waste was used as a natural ion exchanger and converted into value‐added products through activated carbon production. The cell walls of this lignocellulosic biomass contain amine groups, carboxyl groups, and phenolic OH groups, supporting its use as a natural cation exchanger. The carbon‐rich biomass is also a potential raw material for activated carbon synthesis. Based on the literature, activated carbon was synthesized using slow pyrolysis at 800 °C with ZnCl 2 as a chemical activating agent, yielding a material with a surface area of 984 m 2 g −1 . Methylene blue (MB) removal studies were carried out to evaluate the adsorption capacities of both materials. The effects of process parameters were investigated by fitting the Taguchi L25 orthogonal array. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), scanning electron microscopy–energy dispersive X‐ray (SEM–EDX), and Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) analyses were used to characterize the waste and synthesized activated carbon. As a result of the experiments, 98.88% MB removal was achieved with S. babylonica leaf waste powder (S‐WP), and 100% MB removal was achieved with activated carbon (S‐AC) synthesized from this waste.