Properties of activated carbon obtained from brewers spent grains.

Beer is one of the most popular drinks in the world. In the process of beer brewing, the main solid by-products are brewers' spent grains. Those malt residues are produced in large quantities. This work focused on the utilization of BSG for the production of activated carbon. The raw material was obtained from the production of standard Pilsner beer. Technical and thermogravimetric analyzes were performed on BSG. The material was then subjected to low temperature carbonization to obtain semicoke, which was processed into activated carbon. During the experiments, two physical activation techniques and one chemical were tested: with CO₂, with H₂O, and solid NaOH. All of obtained materials were also examined by using FTIR technique. The results showed that steam activated carbon had bigger S_BET (636 m²/g) than carbon dioxide activated (551 m²/g). The best results were obtained by using chemical activation by NaOH (3286 m²/g). Activated carbons obtained from BSG may be a feasible and cheap sorbent in water treatment plants, especially those located close to the brewery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]