Facile Synthesis of Disordered Graphitic Charcoal by Direct Pyrolysis of Mustard Oil Cake and Sugarcane Bagasse

Charcoal was prepared in a facile way using a muffle furnace by direct pyrolysis of mustard oil cake and sugarcane bagasse attempting inert gas-free high-temperature pyrolysis at 900 °C. The structure of the obtained product was analyzed by Raman spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. The lack of long-range order in the prepared charcoal has been attested by the appearance of weak and broad 2D peaks in the Raman spectra. The diameter of the crystallites was found to be 3.66 nm (mustard oil cake) and 3.79 nm (sugarcane bagasse). The material was found to consist essentially of amorphous carbon with the presence of oxygen-containing functional groups. On analyzing the elemental composition by XPS, only carbon and oxygen atoms were observed. The charcoal was found to retain the layered morphology, organized in a sheet-like or flakes-like manner, of precursor lignocellulosic biomass. Charc