Taguchi method for optimizing process parameters in the production of activated carbon from rubber seed shell

Activated carbon is widely used in many applications. This study aims to optimize the most influential processing parameters of the activated carbon production from rubber seed shell. The Taguchi method is applied to gain 9 combinations of experimental design from three processing parameters, namely chemical reagent concentration, activation temperature, and activation time. By using the analysis of variance (ANOVA), the most influential processing parameters of activated carbon production are found as chemical reagent concentration and activation temperature. The optimal product yield and amorphous percentage can be achieved when chemical reagent concentration, activation temperature, and activation time are chosen as 25 wt.%-600 degrees C-1.0 h and 25 wt.%-600 degrees C-2.5 h, respectively. As conclusions, the product yield is influenced by the activation temperature, while the amorphous percentage is affected by the activation time. The Taguchi method is an appropriate approach for optimizing the parameters to produce the activated carbon.