# US 11,896,950 B1 · Activated carbon composite flakes using olive stone-polyethylene waste > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 11,896,950 B1 - Document ID: US11896950B1 - Status: Granted - Kind: B1 - Application number: 18/378,297 - Filed: 2023-10-10 - Granted: 2024-02-13 - Earliest claimed: 2023-10-10 - Assignees: King Faisal University - Applicants: King Faisal University - Inventors: Junaid Saleem; Sk Safdar Hossain; Zubair Khalid Baig Moghal; Gordon McKay - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11896950B1 ## CPC - B01J 20/20: comprising free carbon; comprising carbon obtained by carbonising processes - B01J 20/261: {obtained by reactions only involving carbon to carbon unsaturated bonds (macromolecular compounds obtained by reactions only involving carbon-to-carbon unsaturated bonds per se C08F)} - B01J 20/3078: {Thermal treatment, e.g. calcining or pyrolizing} - B01J 20/3085: {Chemical treatments not covered by groups B01J20/3007 - B01J20/3078} - C02F 1/283: {using coal, charred products, or inorganic mixtures containing them} - C08K 3/04: Carbon - B01J 2220/46: Materials comprising a mixture of inorganic and organic materials (materials coated or impregnated on a carrier B01J20/32) - C02F 2101/20: Heavy metals or heavy metal compounds - C02F 2101/308: {Dyes; Colorants; Fluorescent agents} - B01J: CHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL PROCESSES, e.g. CATALYSIS OR COLLOID CHEMISTRY; THEIR RELEVANT APPARATUS - C02F: TREATMENT OF WATER, WASTE WATER, SEWAGE, OR SLUDGE (separation in general B01D; special arrangements on waterborne vessels of installations for treating water, waste water or sewage, e.g. for producing fresh water, B63J; adding materials to water to prevent corrosion C23F; treating radioactively-contaminated liquids G21F9/04; regeneration of reactants for recirculation into processes, see the relevant places for the processes) - C08K: Use of inorganic or non-macromolecular organic substances as compounding ingredients (paints, inks, varnishes, dyes, polishes, adhesives C09) ## Abstract A method of preparing an adsorbent can include pyrolyzing olive stone to provide an olive stone char, activating the olive stone char, dissolving a polymer in an organic solvent to obtain a solution, dispersing the activated olive stone char in the solution to provide a mixture, extracting the solvent from the mixture to provide a composite, and annealing the composite to provide the adsorbent. The adsorbent can be porous. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method for preparing an adsorbent from olive stone and a polymer, comprising: obtaining olive stones; cutting and drying the olive stones to obtain dried olive stone pieces; alkali-activating the dried olive stone pieces to obtain alkali-activated olive stone pieces; pyrolyzing the alkali-activated olive stone pieces to obtain alkali-activated olive stone char; acid-activating the alkali-activated olive stone char to obtain acid-activated olive stone char; dissolving at least one polymer in an organic solvent to obtain a polymer solution; dispersing the acid-activated olive stone char in the polymer solution to obtain a mixture; extracting the organic solvent from the mixture to obtain a composite; and annealing the composite to provide the adsorbent. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one polymer comprises polyethylene. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the organic solvent is selected from the group consisting of p-xylene, o-xylene, m-xylene, an isomeric mixture of xylenes, p-cymene, o-cymene, m-cymene, limonene, toluene, mesitylene, other aromatic hydrocarbons, and mixtures thereof. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The method of claim 3, wherein the organic solvent is p-xylene. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising cutting the adsorbent to provide adsorbent flakes. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The method of claim 5, wherein the adsorbent flakes have sizes ranging from about 3 mm to about 30 mm. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the olive stones are dried for about two days under the sun or for about 1 to about 2 hours at a temperature of about 110° C. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the dried olive stone pieces are alkali-activated by immersing the dried olive stone pieces in a solution including 2N KOH. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the alkali-activated olive stone pieces are pyrolyzed at a temperature ranging from about 200° C. to about 1000° C. at a residence time ranging from about 30 minutes to about 5 hours. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the alkali-activated olive stone char is acid-activated by immersing the alkali-activated olive stone char in a solution including 2N H2SO4. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein dissolving the polymer in the organic solvent comprises: heating the organic solvent containing the polymer to a temperature ranging from about 120° C. to about 140° C.; and stirring the organic solvent containing the polymer for about 20 minutes to about 40 minutes. ### Claim 12 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the annealing comprises heating of the composite at a temperature ranging from about 110° C. to about 140° C. for a period of time ranging from about 2 minutes to about 1 hour. ### Claim 13 (depends on 1) A method of removing a pollutant from an aqueous solution, comprising contacting the adsorbent as prepared in claim 1 with the aqueous solution. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The method of claim 13, wherein the aqueous solution comprises wastewater. ### Claim 15 (depends on 13) The method of claim 13, wherein the pollutant comprises organic dyes. ### Claim 16 (depends on 15) The method of claim 15, wherein the organic dyes are selected from the group consisting of Rhodamine B, Alizarin red, Indigo carmine, and a mixture thereof. ### Claim 17 (depends on 5) The method of claim 5, wherein the adsorbent flakes have an adsorption capacity of about 225 mg/g to about 275 mg/g.