Preparation of Activated Carbon from Wood Bark by Using H3PO4

In this study, activated carbon (AC) was produced from wood bark by chemical activation. The precursor used was Neobalanocarpus heimii bark (NHB) and directly activated with phosphoric acid (H3PO4) in an oxygen-free atmosphere at a distinctive impregnation ratio of wood bark and H3PO4 (1:1-1:4), activation time (30-120 min) and activation temperature (400-700 °C). The produced AC at the optimum condition was then characterized in terms of ash content, moisture content, pH value, and iodine number. The Fourier-infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) analysis was carried out from the range of 4000 – 400 cm -1 to examine the basic surface functional groups on the AC surface. The present results showed the ideal conditions to produce the AC was found at an impregnation ratio of 1:4, activation temperature of 600 °C and 60 minutes activation time. The moisture content and iodine number of the AC was 8.24% and 819.03 mg/g. This finding implies that H3PO4 as an activating reagent changed the NHB thermal degradation and stabilized the cellulose structure, leading to a subsequent change in porosity development. The FTIR analysis indicates that the produced AC has several functional groups on the surface.