Abstract :
The powdered activated carbon prepared by phosphoric acid activation was significantly affected by the
carbonization temperature and the weight ratio between raw material and phosphoric acid. With an activation
time of 1 h and an impregnation ratio of 1:1, the activated carbons with better adsorption capacity
were obtained at 500 C. A reduction in the adsorption capacity of the carbon product at higher acid content
than this was observed, possibly due to the collapse of the micropore structure. The properties of the
resulting activated carbon were: bulk density 0.251 g cm 3, ash content 4.88%, yield 26.2%, iodine adsorption
1043 mg g 1, methylene blue adsorption number 427 mg g 1, and BET surface area 1239 m2 g 1
