Characteristics and comparison of activated carbons prepared from oleaster (Elaeagnus angustifolia L.) fruit using KOH and ZnCl2

Precursor type and activation agent are the main factors that influence the production of activated carbon (AC) with desirable properties. Biomass based materials are generally used to prepare AC using appropriate activating agents. The oleaster fruit and fruit fractions (peel, flesh and seed) were used as precursors for the preparation of ACs using ZnCl2 and KOH as activation agents. The ACs were characterised using different methods (including pore size, BET, FTIR, Raman, XPS). The BET surface areas of the ACs produced from the flesh fraction using ZnCl2 and KOH were 2021 and 1816 m(2)/g, respectively. The micropore volumes (and fractions) of the same samples were 0.735 (75.15%) and 0.393 (30.39%) cc/g. The effects of ZnCl2 and KOH were substantially different with respect to the properties of the ACs. To prove the effects of the reagent type on the properties on the ACs, the two produced from the flesh fraction with KOH and ZnCl2 were compared. FTIR and Raman analyses show that the aromatic structure deteriorated in the sample produced in the presence of KOH compared to ZnCl2.