Preparation of Activated Carbon from Parkia Speciosa Pod by Chemical Activation

Parkia speciosa pod which is known as stink bean or 'petai', is selected as a precursor for activated carbon preparation by activation with phosphoric acid. The effects of carbonisation temperatures ranging from 450 degrees C to 650 degrees C and mass ratio of acid to precursor (1:1 and 1:2) on the porosity formation of the resulting carbons are studied for a carbonization period of 1 hour, heating rate of 5 degrees C/min and nitrogen purge rate of 10 cm(3)/min. Carbon yield is determined by measuring the weight of a sample before and after carbonisation. The surface area and pore volume are measured using the Micromeritics 2020 surface analyser. The maximum surface area of 190 m(2)/g and pore volume of 0.0950 cm(3)/g are obtained at carbonization temperature of 600 degrees C and impregnation ratio of 1:1. The measured carbon yield, which was comparable with that of a commercial activated carbon, was 41.1%.