Iranian Chemical Engineering Journal

Iranian Chemical Engineering Journal

Economic Evaluation of Industrial Production of Nano Biocarbon Adsorbent from Biowaste for Ultra-Fast and Ultra-Efficient Phenol Removal

Document Type : Original Article

Authors
1 PhD. Student, Department of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Ra.C., Islamic Azad University, Rasht, Iran
2 Professor of Chemical Engineering, University of Guilan, Rasht, Iran
3 Associate Professor, Department of Chemistry, Boj.C., Islamic Azad University, Bojnord, Iran
Abstract
Phenolic industrial wastewaters and their release into the environment are environmental problems. Among the various methods for separating phenol from wastewater, the adsorption process is a widely used method. The aim of this study is economic evaluation of industrial production of nano biocarbon adsorbent prepared from peanut shell. The unique capability of this adsorbent, having three features simultaneously, ultra-fast and complete removal of phenol, and high adsorption capacity, has made it a practical and competitive product. Based on the economic evaluation, the production of this adsorbent using the method presented in this study is economically profitable and costs 1440 thousand rials per kilogram of final product. The payback period for different discount rates is 3.3 to 5.9 years. The internal rate of return is 40% for ten years from the time of implementation of the production plant, which is higher than the common bank discount rate (23%) and indicates the profitability of the project.
Keywords
Subjects

[1]        Kohkanzadeh, S., Mobasherpour, I., Molaee, M. J., Salahi, E., & Pazouki, M. (2024). Studying the Effect of Adsorption Process Variables on Adsorption Capacity and Removal Percentage of Toluene from Aqueous Solutions by Magnetic Hydroxyapatite Nanoparticles. Iranian Chemical Engineering Journal, 23(134), 7-19, [In Persian].
[2]        Moradizdeh, A., Malek Mohammadi, M. M., & Akhlaghian, F. (2025). Use of Turnip Peel Bioadsorbent to Remove Chromium (VI) from Water. Iranian Chemical Engineering Journal, 23(136),35-46, [In Persian].
[3]        Mohammed, B. B., Yamni, K., Tijani, N., Alrashdi, A. A., Zouihri, H., Dehmani, Y., Chung, I.-M., Kim, S.-H., Lgaz, H. (2019). Adsorptive removal of phenol using faujasite-type Y zeolite: Adsorption isotherms, kinetics and grand canonical Monte Carlo simulation studies. Journal of Molecular Liquids 296, 111997. [4]        Almasi, A., Mahmoudi, M., Mohammadi, M., Dargahi, A., & Biglari, H. (2019). Optimizing biological treatment of petroleum industry wastewater in a facultative stabilization pond for simultaneous removal of carbon and phenol. Toxin Reviews, 40(2), 189–197.
[5]        Naguib, D. M., & Badawy, N. M. (2020). Phenol removal from wastewater using waste products. Journal of Environmental Chemical Engineering, 8(1), 103592.
[6]        Dargahi, A., Mohammadi, M., Amirian, F., Karami, A., & Almasi, A. (2017). Phenol removal from oil refinery wastewater using anaerobic stabilization pond modeling and process optimization using response surface methodology (RSM). Desalination and water treatment, 87, 199-208.
[7]        Bettin, F., Cousseau, F., Martins, K., Boff, N. A., Zaccaria, S., da Silveira, M. M., & Dillon, A. J. P. (2019). Phenol removal by laccases and other phenol oxidases of Pleurotus sajor-caju PS-2001 in submerged cultivations and aqueous mixtures. Journal of environmental management, 236, 581-590.
[8]        Veeresh, G. S., Kumar, P., & Mehrotra, I. (2005). Treatment of phenol and cresols in upflow anaerobic sludge blanket (UASB) process: a review. Water research, 39(1), 154-170.
[9]        Senturk, H. B., Ozdes, D., Gundogdu, A., Duran, C., & Soylak, M. (2009). Removal of phenol from aqueous solutions by adsorption onto organomodified Tirebolu bentonite: Equilibrium, kinetic and thermodynamic study. Journal of hazardous materials, 172(1), 353-362.
[10]      Jampa, S. S. K., Unnarkat, A. P., Vanshpati, R., Pandian, S., Sinha, M. K., & Dharaskar, S. (2020). Adsorption and recyclability aspects of humic acid using nano-ZIF-8 adsorbent. Environmental Technology & Innovation, 19, 100927.
[11]      Shahnaz, T., Priyan, V. V., Pandian, S., & Narayanasamy, S. (2021). Use of Nanocellulose extracted from grass for adsorption abatement of Ciprofloxacin and Diclofenac removal with phyto, and fish toxicity studies. Environmental Pollution, 268, 115494.
[12]      Yılmaz, Ş., Zengin, A., Şahan, T., & Zorer, Ö. S. (2021). Utilization of a novel polymer–clay material for high elimination of hazardous radioactive contamination uranium (VI) from aqueous environments. Environmental Technology & Innovation, 23, 101631.
[13]      Yang, G., Tang, L., Zeng, G., Cai, Y., Tang, J., Pang, Y., ... & Xiong, W. (2015). Simultaneous removal of lead and phenol contamination from water by nitrogen-functionalized magnetic ordered mesoporous carbon. Chemical Engineering Journal, 259, 854-864.
[14]      Keshmiri, F. S., Gilani, H. G., & Kazemi, M. S. (2024). Ultra-fast and ultra-efficient phenol removal from aqueous solution using a nano biocarbon adsorbent by RSM-CCD method: parameters, isotherm, kinetic, ANOVA. Environmental Monitoring and Assessment, 196(7), 642.
[15]      Danish, M., & Ahmad, T. (2018). A review on utilization of wood biomass as a sustainable precursor for activated carbon production and application. Renewable and sustainable energy reviews, 87, 1-21.
[16]      https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Market-Reports/activated-carbon-362.html, available in september (2024).
[17]      León, M., Silva, J., Carrasco, S., & Barrientos, N. (2020). Design, cost estimation and sensitivity analysis for a production process of activated carbon from waste nutshells by physical activation. Processes, 8(8), 945.
[18]      Zein, S. H., & Antony, A. (2022). Techno-Economic Analysis and Feasibility of Industrial-Scale Activated Carbon Production from Agricultural Pea Waste Using Microwave-Assisted Pyrolysis: A Circular Economy Approach. Processes, 10(9), 1702.
[19]      Choy, K. K., Barford, J. P., & McKay, G. (2005). Production of activated carbon from bamboo scaffolding waste—process design, evaluation and sensitivity analysis. Chemical Engineering Journal, 109(1-3), 147-165.
[20]      GStavropoulos, G. G., & Zabaniotou, A. A. (2009). Minimizing activated carbons production cost. Fuel processing technology, 90(7-8), 952-957.
[21]      Nandiyanto, A. B. D. (2018). Cost analysis and economic evaluation for the fabrication of activated carbon and silica particles from rice straw waste. Journal of Engineering Science and Technology, 13(6), 1523-1539.
[22]      Lai, J. Y., & Ngu, L. H. (2024). Techno-economic feasibility study for concurrent activated and modified palm kernel shell–derived activated carbon. Biomass Conversion and Biorefinery, 14(22), 28175-28186.
[23]      Ferdiawan, A. W., Imron, M., & Susanto, A. (2025, February). Analysis of Payback Period, NPV, IRR, PI and ROI of Computed Tomography Scan(Ct-Scan) Medical Equipment (Case Study of Caruban Regional Public Hospital). In The Fourth International Conference on Government Education Management and Tourism, 4, 081-081.
[24]      Lorenc-Grabowska, E. (2016) Effect of micropore size distribution on phenol adsorption on steam activated carbons, Adsorption, 22(4) 599-607.