The Carbon
While building our scrubber at school, we simultaneously developed our own version of activated charcoal at MTSU with the help of a chemistry professor, Dr. Ngee Chong. Using chestnut seeds found around MTSU campus, we transformed the organic material into charcoal through a process called pyrolysis.
Starting from chestnut seeds, we soaked them in a solution of Hydrochloric acid for a couple hours. Next, we put them in the furnace and heated them up overnight. The result was the powdery charcoal substance pictured above. Although we have not test this version of activated charcoal, our production exemplifies how useful the medium can be to absorb emission, especially since it can be developed using waste materials.