Characterization and use of high surface area activated carbons prepared from cane pith for liquid-phase adsorption

Carbonaceous adsorbents with controllable surface areas were chemically activated with KOH at 780 degrees C from char that had been carbonized from cane pith at 450 degrees C. The pore properties including the BET surface area, pore volume, pore size distribution, and mean pore diameter of these activated carbons were characterized and derived using the t-plot method based on N(2) adsorption isotherms. The activated cane pith carbons, with KOH/char ratios of 2-6, exhibited BET surface areas ranging from 912 to 2299 m(2) g(-1). The scanning electron microscopic (SEM) observations revealed that the surface morphology of honeycombed holes on all activated cane pith carbons was significantly influenced by the KOH/char ratio. The adsorption kinetics and equilibrium isotherms of acid blue 74, methylene blue, basic brown 1, p-nitrophenol, p-chlorophenol, p-cresol, and phenol from water at 30 degrees C on the activated carbons were studied. The adsorption kinetics were suitably described by a simplified kinetic model, the Elovich equation. All adsorption equilibrium isotherms were in agreement with the Langmuir equation, and were used to compare the covered area (S(c)/S(p)) of the activated carbons at different KOH/char ratios. The high-surface-area activated carbons were proven to be promising adsorbents for pollution control and for other applications.