Fabrication of waste-derived porous geopolymer by community-scale carbonization and steam activation with potential copper adsorption.

An integrated system for solid waste management in rural regions is presented in this study. Waste charcoal and activated carbon (AC) products were used for the production of absorbable geopolymers by subjecting municipal solid waste (MSW) and beachside waste (BSW) to a carbonization process (400 °C for 3 h) and steam activation (700, 800, and 900 °C for 1 h). The material characterization, mechanical property analysis, and copper adsorption performance were investigated. The results showed that the waste charcoal yields from MSW and BSW were 31.4% and 39.5%, respectively. The AC product yields of MSW and BSW were approximately 13.9-19.8% and 18.1-26.2%, respectively. Additional ingredients for geopolymer production are coal fly ash (FA) and rice husk bottom ash (RA). The results showed that the 45FARA10MSW and 50FA50BSW geopolymers had maximum compressive strengths of 188.78 and 130.94 ksc, respectively. The absorbable geopolymers 45FARA10MSW-AC and 50FA50BSW-AC, produced from waste charcoal-derived AC, exhibited Cu removal performances of 68.5% and 98.3%, respectively. The high adsorption performance was owing to improved physical properties such as the surface area, pore size, and average porosity of the AC products. In summary, absorbable geopolymer products from waste could be a promising green materials for environmental applications.