The production of activated charcoals, from locally made materials, together with the gold and oil industries, will improve Ghana’s economy. These were the affirmations of Professor William Kwame, the incumbent Dean of Postgraduate Studies at the prestigious University of Mines and
Technology.
What is Activated Charcoal?
Activated Charcoal is charcoal that has been processed using very high temperatures and industrial apparatus. The process results in a fine black powder.
The powder has a very high level of porousness, which means it has a very high absorption level.
It is used in a variety of health and medical products.
With the country having purchased a rector that has the ability to produce a commercial quantity of activated charcoals. Also, with the fact that about 4.5 percent of the total of 1.6 million tonnes of palm fruits are produced within Ghana.
He further opined that the mass production is important at this point in time. This is because it will provide employment opportunities, reduce the rates of foreign exchange during importation, and complement the efforts of the gold and oil industries in getting the economy better while it
concurrently causes an unavoidable improvement of waste management.
Prof. William Kwame Buah stated all these at an inaugural lecture, titled, “The production of activation carbon from biomass waste in Ghana- A boost for gold and oil industries.” The lecture held within the university last Friday.
In his words, the erudite mentioned that the so-called wastes can be maximized to create wealth. With the aim of value addition and treatment, he believed that biomass wastes can become a major element of wealth creation in the country. In the process of using the wastes
generated, Ghanaians can be certain to have access to reduced environmental pollution, clean water, and beverage production, among many other dividends.
According to research, the production of activated charcoals from RDFs, Refuse Derived Fuels has been proven to aid the absorption of gold from the gold chloride solution when mining gold.
This further confirms the perceived impact of activated carbons in the gold mining industry.
