Microwave regeneration of spent powder activated carbon

Experiments were conducted to demonstrate that spent powder activated carbon can be regenerated for reuse by microwave radiation. The spent powder activated carbon tested was prepared from the aqueous solutions of ethanol and acetone. The changes in the temperature and weight of spent activated carbon under microwave radiation were monitored. The results show that microwave regeneration of spent powder activated carbon consist of four steps: heating of wet carbon, evaporation of adsorbate, diffusion of adsorbate, and heating of dry carbon.