A review on utilization of wood biomass as a sustainable precursor for activated carbon production and application

Activated carbon has been an ideal material for the separation of a variety of chemical pollutants. Its extensive use is limited due to the cost of production, which has triggered the researches on the viable option for the non-conventional and cost-effective production. The application of biomass waste has been widely explored as an alternative to expensive methods of activated carbon production from coal. In this study, detailed list of production methods of activated carbon from wood biomass is presented systematically. The attempt has also been made to review the physical properties, such as ultimate and proximate analyses of wood biomass material. Further, the chemical compositions of wood, such as hemicelluloses, cellulose, and lignin are also dealt with. Finally, this review incorporates the existing research papers on wood-derived activated carbons to understand the influence of pyrolysis temperature, activation temperature, and effect of various physical and chemical activation conditions on the production, surface characteristics and adsorption behavior of activated carbons. The outcome of this study revealed that the activated carbons from wood biomass exhibit promising characteristics in terms of surface area, pore size and pore volume, surface functional groups, and surface entrapment behavior against various water soluble chemical toxicants.