Preparation of High Surface Area Activated Carbon from Elaeagnus angustifolia Seeds by Chemical Activation with ZnCl2 in One-Step Treatment and its Iodine Adsorption

Abstract

The present study was conducted with the preparation of activated carbon through one-step chemical activation using zinc chloride (ZnCl2) as the activating agent from Elaeagnus angustifolia seeds (EAS). The effect of impregnation ratio, activation temperature, and activation time on activated carbon surface area was discussed. The properties of activated carbon were characterized by N2 adsorption (BET), thermogravimetric analyses (TGA), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). The best conditions for preparing activated carbon were identified to be temperature of 500°C, impregnation ratio of 150%, impregnation time of 48 h, and activation time of 60 min with BET surface area of 1836 m2/g. The adsorption capacity was demonstrated by the iodine numbers