Activated carbon from Chilean native agricultural by-products and forest residues

Activated carbons are obtained from Chilean Native Agricultural By-Products and from Forest Residues through a physical procedure of water steam activation. The products obtained have different surface areas and the ash-contents are low. The surface of carbons was proved to be acid by using electrophoretic mobility; and the potentiometric titration, using a base, showed that the organosolv lignin precursor originates carbons with great amount of acid sites. The FT-IR spectrum shows that the surface of the carbons obtained contains oxygenated groups. It seems that they are similar in all the products obtained. The adsorbed amount of the o-chlorophenol is higher than the m- and p-chlorophenol in all the carbons studied. This adsorbed amount increases when the pH of the adsorbate solution decreases. The amount of carbon used, the solution concentration and the grain size of the carbon used influence the adsorption.