Characterization of Pyrolytic Char after Chemical Activation

In this study, the pyrolytic char from fast pyrolysis of bamboo powder was activated with KOH solvent at 500, 600 and 700°C. And the characterization of chars before and after activation was carried out by means of N2 physisorption, XRD, FTIR and SEM. A better porous structure of activated chars was found. Compared with pyrolytic char, activated chars had higher fixed carbon content and BET surface areas, and fewer active functional groups on the surface to increase the degree of graphitization. With the temperature increasing, the activated char became much more suitable as the substitute of commercial activated carbon. Therefore, the char activated at 700°C was most stable and had the best properties as catalyst support and absorbent material