Preparation and characterization of activated carbon from acorn shell by physical activation with H2O–CO2 in two-step pretreatment

Activated carbons have been prepared by physical activation with H2O–CO2 in two-step pre-treatment including ZnCl2–HCl from acorn shell at 850 °C. The active carbons were characterized by N2 adsorption at 77 K. Adsorption capacity was demonstrated by the iodine numbers. The surface chemical characteristics of activated carbons were determined by FTIR spectroscopic method. The microstructure of the activated carbons prepared was examined by scanning electron microscopy. The maximum BET surface area of the obtained activated carbon was found to be around 1779 m2/g.