Grant: Engage Grants Program

B. W. BioEnergy Inc. has developed and characterized three major carbon samples from a renewable, cost-efficient feedstock, the Alder tree. B.W. BioEnergy Inc. has identified the need for facile methods of activating Torrified Alder tree biomass and probing the potential application of these biomasses to adsorb various industrial pollutants in the aqueous phase including heavy metals (Pb, Hg, Cd and Cu) and organics (polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons) as major research objectives. The proposed project in collaboration with S. MacQuarrie at Cape Breton University, will investigate the surface chemistry and porous structure of a series of chemically activated carbons from Alder wood prepared by oxidizing with various oxidizing agents in the liquid phase. The activated carbons will then be investigated for their absorptive qualities. Specifically, the adsorption of pure naphthalene and pyrene as well as several heavy metals (iron, copper and lead) on the various activated carbons will be investigated in order to determine the efficiency and future commercial value of these biomass materials.