Preparation of activated carbon from the stick woods of Eucommia Ulmoides Oliv using zinc chloride activation method

In this study we developed zinc chloride activation method to prepare activated carbon (AC) from the stick woods of one-year-old Eucommia Ulmoides Oliv cultivated from leaf-oriented tree model We determined the effect of zinc chloride (ZnCl₂) concentration, mass ratio of solvent to material, dip time, activation temperature and activation time on the absorption capacity of the absorbent. The results showed that the optimal condition for preparation of AC was 35% of ZnCl₂, 4.0 : 1 mass ratio of solvent to material, 15h of dip time, 600°C of activation temperature and 180 min of activation time. Under the optimal condition, the yield of the AC was 32.5 %, with iodine absorption of 1210.8 mg/g and methylene blue absorption of 216.5 mg/g, which met the requirement of the first grade product standard of GB/T13803.2-1999.