Preparation and Characterization of Activated Carbon from Pyrolusite-Added Herb Residues

The preparation of activated carbon from wastes could increase economic return and reduce pollution. It was found that the herb residues of ophiopogon japonicus can be used as a raw material for the production of activated carbon. In this study, a modified activated carbon was prepared from the pyrolusite-added herb residues by chemical activation with zinc chloride (ZnCl2). The objectives of this study were to prepare and characterize activated carbon. The effects of several preparation conditions on the iodine adsorption value were studied. The experimental results showed that the optimum preparation condition was as follows: pyrolusite addition of 5%, solid to liquid ratio of 1:2, activator concentration of 3 mol/L, activation temperature of 500 degrees C and activation time of 1 h. The activated carbon made by the above condition attained the specific surface area of 998.984 m(2)/g and the iodine adsorption value of 1178.21 mg/g. And the modified activated carbon with rougher surface and higher adsorption property was substantiated by scanning electron microscope (SEM) analysis.