Production of Activated Carbon from Natural Sources

Activated carbon, a widely used adsorbent in industrial processes, is composed of a microporous, homogenous structure with high surface area and shows radiation stability. The process for producing high-efficiency activated carbon is not completely investigated in developing countries. Furthermore, there are many problems with the regeneration of used activated carbon.

Nowadays, there is a great interest in finding inexpensive and effective alternatives to the existing commercial activated carbon. Exploringeffective and low-cost activated carbon may contribute to environmentalsustainability and offer benefits for future commercial applications. The cost of activated carbon prepared from biomaterials is very low compared to the cost of commercial activated carbon.

Several reports are available in the field of production of activated carbon elsewhere. Pods of Thespesia populnea were used as a raw material for the preparation of activated carbon. The prepared activated carbon was used for the adsorptive removal of Orange G dye from aqueous system. Activated carbon prepared from rice husk using phosphoric acid activation has been studied by chemical activation.