Preparation of high-surface-area activated carbon from coconut shell fibers

 Activated carbons (ACs) with high specific surface area and abundant mesopores were prepared from coconut shell fibers through carbonization and NaOH/KOH activation. The influence of NaOH/KOH ratio, carbonization temperature, activation temperature, activation time and heating rate on the adsorption behavior of the ACs were investigated. The specific surface area of the obtained ACs under optimum conditions was 2032m²/g with 28% （volume fraction） of mesopores between 2 to 4nm. The iodine adsorption value and methylene blue adsorption value of the AC were 1435 and 495mg/g, respectively.