Abstract
The present research work was undertaken to utilize barley husk as a raw material to prepare furfural and active
carbon, under different experimental conditions. It was noted that the yield of furfural increased with increasing
digestion time. However, yield of active carbon decreased with increasing digestion time. Moreover, H2S04
furnished higher percentage of furfural than HCI at all solid-liquid ratios and digestion times. Among various salt
catalysts, ZnCI2 proved to be the best activating agent. Maximum yield of active carbon was obtained with HCI in
the presence of CaCl2 as catalyst at 100 minutes digestion time. It was noted that ZnCI2 along with 14 percent
H2S04 at 140 minutes digestion time gave a quality product of high adsorption capacity.
Key words: Barley husk, furfural, active carbon, acid hydrolysis, catalysts, adsorption capacity, Pakistan
