Thermal transformation of date seeds from nonporous to porous materials: Insights on structural changes using chemical and physical characterization

The comprehension of the structure and morphology of carbonized bio-based materials remains incomplete. Diverse biomaterials have been employed in the carbonization process to create porous materials for various environmental remediation applications, such as air filtration and water treatment. This study explores the impact of pyrolysis temperature on the chemical structure, porosity, and morphology of date seeds. Molecular-level changes in the carbonized date seeds were investigated using time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (ToF-SIMS) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). Wide angle X-ray diffraction (WXRD) illustrated the transition from semi-crystalline to amorphous material. Concurrently, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) surface area analyses were employed to monitor the alterations in morphology and porosity. The amorphous pyrolyzed date seeds displayed a BET surface area of 117 ± 13 m² g⁻¹. These findings contribute valuable insights into the structural transformations of date seed chemistry during the carbonization process.