Abstract
The present work investigated the feasibility of coconut leaflets for synthesizing activated carbon through chemical activation using phosphoric acid (H3PO4), zinc chloride (ZnCl2), and potassium hydroxide (KOH). The result showed that the optimum production route with higher iodine number and surface area was achieved through one step for H3PO4 and ZnCl2 whereas two step for KOH activation. The chemical activation process conditions such as activation temperature, time, and impregnation ratio were optimized using L16 Taguchi experimental design. The optimal impregnation ratio (2:1) and activation time (60 min) were found similar for all three activating agents while the optimum temperature for H3PO4, ZnCl2, and KOH was 600, 500, and 800 °C, respectively. Activated carbons synthesized at the optimized conditions were characterized for its morphological, textural, and functional characteristics. Activated carbon produced using H3PO4 had maximum surface area (1353 m2/g) and total pore volume (0.647 cm3/g) followed by ZnCl2 and KOH.
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