Characterization of Activated Carbon of Rice Husk and Clay Soil Materials for Proton Exchange Membrane of Microbial Fuel Cell

Abstract

Proton Exchange Membrane (PEM), which can currently work well on Microbial Fuel Cells (MFC), cannot be produced efficiently. This is due to its high cost and properties such as high oxygen diffusion, presence of toxic sulphides, and a potential translucent substrate. Alternatively, clay mixed with activated Carbon will be used to produce PEM. This is because the crystalline clay content has characteristics that are useful in the manufacture of PEM. To produce cheap PEM, this research was conducted to produce rice husk activated Carbon (ACIRH) which was synthesized with sulfuric acid activator solution. In this case, ACIRH is activated by a two-step activation method. The two stages of the activation process were carried out by carbonizing ACIRH at a temperature of 500°C then impregnated with 2M of phosphoric acid solution with a weight ratio of 5:1 for 20 minutes resulting in an ACIRH surface area of 109.885 m2/gram. It was obtained using the method of Brunauer, Emmet, Teller (BET) with an Automated Chemisorption/Physisorption Surface Area Analyzer. ACRH pore size of 96 nm was obtained by applying the method of Density Function Theory (DFT). These results were confirmed by FESEM images showing the porous ACRH mesopore size. Meanwhile, X-Ray Diffraction Test and Rietveld Analysis showed that ACIRH contains 42.3% of Silica and 57.7% of Carbon. While the clay consists of 95.6% of Quartz (SiO2), 1.3% of Annite (KFe3 2+AlSi3O10(OH)2), 1.0% of Portlandite (Ca(OH)2), 0 9% of Brucite (Mg(OH)2), and 1.2% of Rutile (TiO2).