Comparative analysis of physiochemical properties of physically activated carbon from palm bio-waste

Conversion of palm waste to activated carbon have attracted significant attention due to their lignocellulose chemistry and abundance. In the past, several palm waste has been converted to activated carbon for various applications. The highly porous material is efficient for application in gas, heavy metals, and pesticide adsorption, water purification, and as the active material of electrochemical double layer capacitor. Due to variation in the preparatory conditions, there is no adequate comparison in the electrochemical properties of palm waste derived activated carbons. In this study, palm kernel shell (PKS), oil palm fiber (OPF), and empty fruit bunch (EFB) were used to produce activated carbon by one step physical carbonization and activation at 700 °C and 1 h hold time. A comparative analysis of the physiochemical characteristics of the activated carbon is presented. XRD results reflect the amorphous nature of all the samples and BET surface area of 823 m2/g, 700 m2/g, and 592 m2/g were recorded for EFB, PKS, and OPF, respectively.