Commercial Activated Carbon Research Articles

Functionalized coconut husks for rhodamine-B dye sequestration

This study investigates the efficacy of acid activated coconut husk (CHA) for the removal of rhodamine-B (Rh-B) dye from aqueous solutions. The CHA prepared was characterized using various techniques: SEM, FTIR EDX, Boehm titration and pHpzc, respectively. The effects of different operational parameters including initial concentration, contact time and solution temperatures were examined. Kinetic data for Rh-B dye adsorption onto CHA fitted best to pseudo-second-order kinetic model considering the correlation regression (R2) and the sum of squares of error values. Adsorption data were fitted to Langmuir, Freundlich, Dubinin–Radushkevich and Temkin isotherm models. Langmuir isotherm was the most fitted among all the models used with maximum monolayer sorption capacity of 1666.67 mg g−1 and the highest regression value of 0.99 indicating that CHA has greater affinity for Rh-B dye adsorption due to increased pore development via acid activation. Thermodynamic studies revealed an endothermic adsorption process with the ΔH0 value of 62.77 kJ mol−1. Spontaneity was ascertained based on the negative values of ΔGo (ranging from − 26.38 kJ mol−1 to − 20.93 kJ mol−1). The positive value of ΔS0 (0.276 kJ mol−1 K−1) suggests increased randomness that exists between CHA and Rh-B dye. Cost analysis results revealed that CHA is six times cheaper than commercial activated carbon (CAC), providing a savings of 217 US$ kg−1. CHA adsorbent was found to be suitable for Rh-B dye removal from aqueous solution.

Facile preparation of activated carbon with optimal pore range for high butane working capacity

In this work, the correlation between the pore characteristics of activated carbon (AC) and the adsorption/desorption characteristics of evaporated fuel was studied. AC was prepared by various physical re-activation methods using coconut-derived commercial AC. Pore characteristics of the re-activated AC were investigated using N2/77 K adsorption isotherms. The structural characteristics of the AC were observed by X-ray diffraction and Raman spectroscopy. The butane working capacity was observed according to ASTM D5228. From the results, the specific surface area and total pore volume of the ACs were determined to be 1380–2040 m2/g and 0.60–0.96 cm3/g, respectively. It was also observed that various pore size distributions were found to be dependent on the functions of the activation method and time. A close relationship between butane activity/retentivity and micropore/mesopore volumes was found. In addition, it was inferred that the volume fraction of micropores and sub-mesopores with diameters between 1.5 and 3.0 nm primarily controls butane activity.

Reusing Cow Manure for the Production of Activated Carbon Using Potassium Hydroxide (KOH) Activation Process and Its Liquid-Phase Adsorption Performance

In this work, cow manure (CM) was reused as a potential precursor in the production of activated carbon (AC) using a potassium hydroxide activation process at different temperatures (i.e., 500, 600 and 700 °C). The optimal activated carbon from cow manure (CM-AC) with high specific surface area (ca. 950 m2/g) was further investigated for its adsorption performance in the removal of a model compound (i.e., methylene blue) from aqueous solution with various initial concentrations and adsorbent dosages at 25 °C. It was found that the resulting AC could be an effective adsorbent for removal of cationic dye from aqueous solution in comparison with a commercial coal-based AC. Based on the observations of the energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), the CM-AC adsorbent has a stronger interaction with the cationic compound due to its more oxygen-containing complex on the surface. Furthermore, the adsorption kinetic parameters fitted using the pseudo-second order model with high correlations were in accordance with their pore properties.

Hierarchically open-porous nitrogen-incorporated carbon polyhedrons derived from metal-organic frameworks for improved CDI performance

Capacitive deionization (CDI) is considered as a simple, robust, and environmentally favorable technology for water treatment. High performance electrode materials beyond commercial activated carbons (AC) should be developed for the practical application of CDI. Herein, we demonstrate hierarchically open-porous nitrogen-incorporated activated nanoporous carbon polyhedron (A-NCP) derived from metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) for high performance CDI electrodes. Owing to the 3D morphology with open nanoporous surface, macroporous channels by interlinked polyhedron particles, and electric conductivity by doped nitrogen, A-NCP delivers a high desalination capacity of 24.4 mg/g with a low concentration of 100 mg/mL at 1.2 V, revealing faster kinetic performance than that of commercial AC in the batch-mode CDI. Varying operating conditions such as applied voltage, concentration, and feed rate of saline water in a single-pass experiment, high salt adsorption capacity and fast ion removal of A-NCP are obtained, achieving high position of CDI Ragone plot.

Numerical modeling of two-dimensional simulation of groundwater protection from lead using different sorbents in permeable barriers

This study is to investigate the possibility of using activated carbon prepared from Iraqi date-pits (ADP) which are produced from palm trees (Phoenix dactylifera L.) as low-cost reactive material in the permeable reactive barrier (PRB) for treating lead (Pb<sup>+2</sup>) from the contaminated groundwater, and then compare the results experimentally with other common reactive materials such as commercial activated carbon (CAC), zeolite pellets (ZP). Factors influencing sorption such as contact time, initial pH of the solution, sorbent dosage, agitation speed, and initial lead concentration has been studied. Two isotherm models were used for the description of sorption data (Langmuir and Freundlich). The maximum lead sorption capacities were measured for ADP, CAC, and ZP and were found to be 24.5, 12.125, and 4.45 mg/g, respectively. The kinetic data were analyzed using various kinetic models particularly pseudo-first-order, pseudo-second-order, and intraparticle diffusion. COMSOL Multiphysics 3.5a depend on finite element procedure was applied to formulate transmit of lead (Pb<sup>+2</sup>) in the two-dimensional numerical (2D) model under an equilibrium condition. The numerical solution shows that the contaminant plume is hindered by PRB.

Removal of lead in water using activated carbon prepared from Acacia catechu

The adsorption of Pb (II) on bicarbonate-treated Acacia catechu carbon (BTACC) and commercial activated carbon (CAC) was investigated to assess the possible use of this adsorbent for Pb (II) removal from aqueous solutions. The results obtained from batch studies showed that 98% Pb (II) adsorption for BTACC occurs within 4 h of contact time, within a pH range of 4–10 and a carbon dosage of 100 mg with initial Pb (II) concentration of 10 mg∙L-1, whereas for CAC 52% Pb (II) adsorption occurred within 5 h of contact time and a narrow range of pH 5 and carbon dosage of 100 mg. Adsorption followed pseudo-second-order kinetics for both carbon sources, with the mechanism of adsorption being intra-particle diffusion and film-diffusion. The best fitting adsorption isotherm for both BTACC and CAC were the Langmuir, Freundlich and Temkin models. Surface characteristics were studied using FT-IR, SEM, EDX.

Gasification of sewage sludge within a circular economy perspective: a Polish case study

Sewage sludge (SS) is a by-product of wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) operation. Due to fast rates of urbanization and industrialization, and rapid population growth, the world community faces a serious challenge associated with its disposal. There is an urgent need to explore low cost, energy efficient, and sustainable solutions for the treatment, management, and future utilization of SS. Thermal conversion of SS is considered the most promising alternative for sustainable SS management. Among three main thermochemical processes, it seems that gasification (GAS) of SS has the most advantages. The aim of this paper is a presentation of the gasification process as a sustainable method of SS management that takes into account the idea of a circular economy (CE). Gaseous fuel production, phosphorus recovery potential, and solid adsorbent production during the gasification process are analyzed and discussed. Result of this study shows that the lower heating value (LHV) of the gas from SS GAS process is up to 5 MJ/m3n and it can be effectively utilize in an internal combustion engines. The analysis proved that solid fraction after the SS GAS process can be treated as a valuable phosphorus source and perspective adsorbent materials. The amount of P2O5 in this material was equal to 22.06%. It is similar to natural phosphate rocks (28.05%). The maximum of the adsorption capacity of the phenol was comparable with commercial activated carbon (CAC): 42.22 mg/g for solid fraction after SS GAS and 49.72 mg/g for CAC.Graphical abstract

Surface morphological characterization of activated carbon-metal (hydr)oxide composites: some insights into the role of the precursor chemistry in aqueous solution

Morphological features of metal (hydr)oxide (MO) particles supported on activated carbon (AC) largely influence the performance of these composite materials in most of their applications, particularly in heterogeneous catalysis. Furthermore, the MO precursor as well as the preparation method and conditions strongly determine these morphological features. Thus, the present work is aimed at shedding light on the role of the precursor chemistry on the surface morphology of a series of AC-MO composites prepared by wet impregnation of a commercial AC with Al(NO3)3, Fe(NO3)3, and Zn(NO3)2 in aqueous solution. These materials are characterized by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. The microstructure, morphology, size distribution and degree of dispersion of the supported MO (nano)particles strongly depend on the chemical transformations undergone by the precursors not only in the impregnation solutions after their contact with AC but also during the oven-drying step. Al3+, Fe3+ and Zn2+ species in aqueous medium are involved in hydrolysis and polymerization processes, which notably modify the pH of the starting precursor solutions. Upon their contact with AC, pH markedly increases due to the strong basic character of the carbon surface (pHpzc ≈ 10.50), leading to the precipitation of the metal hydroxides or oxyhydroxides. Both supported bayerite (α-Al(OH)3) and goethite (α-FeO(OH)) are essentially amorphous; however, the former grows in micrometric particles while the latter does as nanoparticles. By contrast, the higher crystallinity and larger particle size of supported wülfingite (ε-Zn(OH)2) are connected with an additional transformation of the as-precipitated amorphous hydroxide during the heating step at 120 °C.

Accelerated Electron Transport and Improved Photocatalytic Activity of Ag/AgBr Under Visible Light Irradiation Based on Conductive Carbon Derived Biomass

Ag/AgBr (PLAS) exhibits good photo-oxidative properties for organic pollutants degradation under visible light. However, poor separation of photogenerated charge carriers at the catalyst interface, caused by decelerated photoexcited electron migration results in lower photocatalytic activity and limits the practical application of PLAS. In this work, activated carbon (ACK) from microwave pyrolysis of chemical impregnated biochar (BCR) pinecone is employed as a conductive carbon support for coupling Ag/AgBr (PLAS–ACK) as synthesized through the thermal polyol route. The structural, electrochemical and optical properties of prepared composites are characterized by various techniques. ACK exhibited faster electron transfer compared to BCR and commercial activated carbon (CAC) from the Nyquist EIS plot, due to its abundant sp2 C and interconnected conductive carbon structures. The resulting PLAS–ACK exhibited an improved degradation efficiency of 92% on tetracycline (TC) antibiotic in a neutral solution after 180 min, which is better than PLAS–BCR and PLAS–CAC under visible LED light irradiation. The superior degradation efficiency of PLAS–ACK is ascribed to the accelerated transport of photo-excited electrons, enhancing the separation of photogenerated charge carriers upon introduction of conductive ACK. The reaction mechanism of PLAS–ACK on TC degradation based on a scavenging experiment was also proposed in this work. (a) Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy of different carbons for photo-excited electrons transport and (b) degradation performance of prepared composites on Tetracycline under visible LED light irradiation.

Role of pulping process as synergistic treatment on performance of agro-based activated carbons.

To recommend the beneficial effect of the pulping process on enhancing agro-wastes as precursors for the production of high-performance activated carbons (ACs), different pulping methods (alkali, sulfite and neutral sulfite) were applied on two available Egyptian agriculture by-products (rice straw and sugar cane bagasse), using the one-step pyrolysis method and H3PO4 activating agent. The adsorption performance of the different prepared ACs was evaluated in terms of Iodine Numbers and their sorption properties for removing the methylene blue (MB) from aqueous solutions. The corresponding sorption processes were also analysed using Lagergren first order, pseudo-second order and intraparticle diffusion models. Data revealed that the applied pulping conditions were effective for removing the non-cellulosic constituents of agro-residues. This was demonstrated by the hydrogen/carbon and oxygen/carbon ratios, thermal stability and IR-measurements of the final pulps. These data were effective on the particular sorption properties of RS and SCB-based ACs. Interestingly, the pulping process is a profound modification of the SCB-based fibres, on which it induced a clear increase of the specific surface areas of the corresponding ACs even though they had an impact on the sorption of MB and iodine. These values are superior to the reported data on agro-based ACs with H3PO4 activators. Pulping processes therefore play a dual role in the sorption properties of ACs. The first important role is the impact on the specific surface areas and the second impact is a profound modification of the surface chemistry of the ACs. Therefore, SCB-based ACs can be seen as an economical breakthrough product, and an alternative to the high-cost commercial ACs for the purification of industrial wastewaters.

Different mechanisms between biochar and activated carbon for the persulfate catalytic degradation of sulfamethoxazole: Roles of radicals in solution or solid phase

Biochar as a carbonaceous material alternative to activated carbon (AC) has received increasing application in the catalytic degradation of organic pollutants. However, the different underlying mechanism between biochar and AC for the catalytic degradation is still unclear. In this study, two biochar produced from the pyrolysis of peanut shell at 400 °C (BC400) and 700 °C (BC700) were used to assist persulfate (PS) catalytic degradation of sulfamethoxazole (SMX), a commercial AC was included as a comparison. Results showed that BC700 had a comparable high catalytic degradation performance to AC (88.7% vs 91.2%) but less effective degradation was observed for BC400 (30.4%). Strong sulfate radicals and hydroxyl radials contributed to the higher catalytic abilities of BC700 and AC, as evidenced by Electron Paramagnetic Resonance analysis. Degradation of SMX by BC700 + PS system mainly happened in solution (53.1%) with the relatively complete degradation. High sorption and dominance of radicals in solid phase of AC (84.3%) was responsible for the faster catalytic performance of AC, but incomplete degradation was observed. Density functional theory calculations confirmed that S-N bond adjacent to the S atom in SMX was the susceptible site for radical’s attack. Our findings provide new insight into the different catalytic mechanisms for different carbon materials, which is helpful for the specific carbon materials designed for antibiotics wastewater treatment.

High-density graphene/single-walled carbon nanohorn composite supercapacitor electrode with high volumetric capacitance

Abstract The low density of porous carbon nanomaterials for supercapacitor electrodes has limited their widespread application, despite their ultra-high gravimetric capacitance. In this work, we successfully prepared highly densified composite electrodes of graphene and single-walled carbon nanohorns (SWCNHs) using a simple spray-drying method that is suitable for mass production. To prepare the high-density composite electrodes, water-based mixtures of oxidized SWCNHs (NHOs) and graphene oxides (GOs) were spray-dried in heated air; after spray-drying, GOs dispersed in water were agglomerated in spherical clusters containing NHO nanoparticles. The reduced spray-dried GO/NHO (rS-GO/NHO) composite electrodes exhibited an extremely high bulk density of 1.23 g·cm−3, which is almost double that of commercial activated carbon (AC) and reduced NHO (r-NHO) electrodes, and three times higher than that of rS-GO electrodes. Of the materials tested, the rS-GO/NHO composite electrode had the highest volumetric capacitance (80 F·cm−3 at 1 mA·cm−2) and a low sheet resistance (0.005 Ω· sq.−1), which are far superior to those of commercial AC (57 F·cm−3 at 1 mA·cm−2 and 0.293 Ω·sq.−1, respectively), without the need for a conductive material, such as carbon black. We expect that these high-density graphene/SWCNH composite electrodes with high volumetric capacitances can be substituted for commercial AC materials in energy storage devices, such as supercapacitors.

CO2 Adsorption study on pure and chemically activated chars derived from commercial biomass gasifiers

The carbonaceous by-product of biomass gasification processes is known as char. Although nowadays char is treated as a waste, it could be valorized as cheap precursor for activated carbons (ACs) due to their similarities in terms of physical-chemical properties and mechanism of formation. In particular, this study wants to assess char suitability as substitute/precursor of AC for CO2 adsorption. Five chars were taken from five different commercial biomass gasifiers installed in South-Tyrol (Italy) and characterized through elemental analysis, physisorption analysis, and scanning electron microscopy. CO2 adsorption/desorption capacity of chars were investigated through thermogravimetric analysis and their performances were compared with two commercial ACs selected as reference.The effects of adsorption temperature (Tads = 50–75–100 °C), CO2 concentration (CO2:N2 = 1:1–1:4), chemical activation (with KOH or ZnCl2), and adsorption cycles were investigated.The highest uptake (3.7%) was measured for char activated with KOH, at Tads = 50 °C and CO2:N2 = 1:1.

Enhanced electrochemical performance of the activated carbon electrodes with a facile and in-situ phosphoric acid modification

Abstract A facile and in-situ modification approach is proposed to significantly improve the electrochemical performance of the commercial activated carbon (AC) electrode used in supercapacitor. After the phosphoric acid modification, the pore structure, specific surface area and conductivity of the AC electrode are almost unchanged, while the percentage composition of O and P is apparently increased, consequently the corresponding wettability and effective surface area are significantly improved. Electrochemical measurements show that the specific capacitance of the modified AC electrode is high up to 249 F g−1, almost increasing 35% compared with that of the commercial AC electrode, and the capacitance retention after 10,000 cycles at 4 A g−1 still can reaches up to 97%, indicating a preferable cycling stability. Most importantly, the simple phosphoric acid modification used in this work results in such a significant improvement in the electrochemical performance on the premise of the commercial AC electrode, so the facile and in-situ modification method might be a promising approach to improving the electrochemical performance of the commercial AC electrode for the supercapacitor in the future.

Boron adsorption removal by commercial and modified activated carbons

Although being an essential element for plants, animals, and people, due to its many industrial applications boron content in the environment exceeds its safe levels. In this paper, the results of the studies on the effectiveness of various commercial activated carbons (CACs) in the purification of water from dissolved boron compounds are presented. To further improve boron adsorptive capacity, the CAC was modified with polyhydric chelates and the as-formed adsorbents were characterized by SEM and BET analysis. The influence of various operating factors on the adsorption of boron was investigated, including a contact time, pH of solution, initial boron concentration and temperature. Batch studies revealed that the pH of solution is a key factor affecting boron removal, and the most efficient adsorption is observed at the pH of 8.5. The adsorption was found out to follow the pseudo-second-order kinetic model, with the equilibrium state achieved within 4 h. The results indicated the exothermic and non-spontaneous nature of adsorption, the reduction of the entropy of the system, as well as the presence of a mixed, physical and chemical adsorption mechanism. Consequently, CAC modified by mannitol or xylitol is shown to serve as an efficient adsorbent for boron removal from polluted water.

Performance of dry water- and porous carbon-based sorbents for carbon dioxide capture

Carbon dioxide is the primary greenhouse gas that has a strong impact on global warming. Several technologies have been developed for capturing CO2 to mitigate the greenhouse effect. The objective of this research was to investigate the performance of several sorbents based on dry water and porous carbon materials for capturing CO2. Seven sorbents were prepared and comparatively evaluated for their CO2 capture capabilities: (i) Conocarpus biochar (CBC); (ii) commercial activated carbon (CAC); (iii) normal dry water (NDW); (iv) K2CO3-treated CBC (TCBC); (v) K2CO3-modified dry water (MDW); (vi) MDW and 2% TCBC (MDWTCBC); and (vii) MDW and 2% activated carbon (MDWCAC). The sorption process was carried out with initial CO2 concentration of 5.7%, temperature of 25 °C, feed gas flow rate of 0.5 l min−1 and a pressure of 1.0 bar. The pure CO2 was mixed with O2 or N2 to achieve the desired inlet concentration of CO2. The CO2 adsorption capacity and partition coefficient (PC) of the tested sorbents were evaluated at 5% and 100% breakthrough (BT). The results showed a longer breakthrough and equilibrium adsorption times for CO2 when mixed with N2 than with O2. Among all sorbents, both CAC and CBC showed enhanced CO2 capture performance with equilibrium (100% BT) adsorption capacities of 239 and 197 mg g−1, respectively (in terms of PC: 1.0 × 10−3 and 7.9 × 10−4 mol kg−1 Pa−1, respectively). In contrast, the performance of TCBC and the dry water-based sorbents was far lower than CAC or CBC. The CO2 adsorption data fitted well to the non-linearized form of the pseudo-first-order kinetic model. The Fourier-transform infrared spectral patterns indicated that the reaction of CO2 molecules with the hydroxyl groups of sorbents is possible through the formation of chemisorbed CO2 species. It could be concluded that the activation process did not play a role in increasing the CO2 capture performance in order to form new active sorption sites. However, Conocarpus biochar can be used as efficient sorbent for CO2 capture with a better performance than other materials tested previously (e.g., activated carbon).

Catalytic ozonation of industrial textile wastewater using modified C-doped MgO eggshell membrane powder

This effort demonstrates preparation and characterization of carbon-doped magnesium oxide (C-MgO) doped on an eggshell membrane powder (C-MgO-EMP) as a catalyst. The catalytic activity of C-MgO-EMP was assessed in a catalytic ozonation process (COP) for treating a real textile wastewater. A 43 full factorial design (FFD) was conducted to plan an experimental series in the catalytic treatment of the textile wastewater via a C-MgO-EMP catalyst. In the catalytic treatment process with the as-prepared catalyst, the test conditions were optimized at an ozone flow rate = 0.4 L/min, a catalyst dose = 0.23 g/L, and reaction time = 10 min. The catalytic efficiency of the C-MgO-EMP catalyst in the degradation (decolorize based on ADMI color unit) and mineralization (TOC removal) of the real textile wastewater was calculated to be 93% and 78%, respectively. The prepared catalyst had better potential catalytic activity (synergetic effect = 52%) than the commercial activated carbon (CAC) and O3 in TOC removal. Based on the kinetic study, the ratio of Koverall-c-MgO-EMPTOCKoverall-CACTOC was indicated to be 1.584. Kinetic results demonstrated that the mineralization rate in COP with C-MgO-EMP catalyst is 9.05 times higher than the CAC/O3 process.

A new approach to obtain mesoporous-activated carbon via hydrothermal carbonization of Brazilian Cerrado biomass combined with physical activation for bisphenol-A removal

The worrying hydric crisis and the increasing water contamination by emerging pollutants around the world stimulate the development of activated carbons (AC) for the removal of endocrine disruptors, including bisphenol-A (BPA). For this reason, a new approach for the synthesis of AC from hydrochar produced through hydrothermal carbonization (HTC) of Brazilian Cerrado biomass (Magonia pubescens–Sapindaceae) and physical activation using water vapor is highlighted. Compared to the traditional method of physical activation after pyrolysis, HTC was found to be better option to develop the specific surface area, porosity, and yield of the ACs, which presented mesoporous structure and carbon content higher than 80%. The BPA adsorption was evaluated by varying the contact time, BPA concentration, and pH. The Langmuir, Freundlich, and Redlich–Peterson isotherms were used to model the adsorption behavior. In the preliminary test to verify the adsorption efficiency, the AC obtained from hydrochar treated at 180 °C presented better results compared to commercial AC. The BPA adsorption data of the best treated hydrochar correlated well with the pseudo first-order model and the Langmuir isotherm (Qmax = 21.26 mg g−1). The results of the studies indicated the combination of HTC and physical activation with steam to be an efficient way to prepare an ecologically sound adsorbent for removal of Bisphenol-A from water with lower temperature and without chemical reagents. The ACs obtained can also be potential materials for other applications, such as in the field of catalysis and environmental remediation.

Porous NiCoP nanowalls as promising electrode with high-area and mass capacitance for supercapacitors

The design of the electrode with high-area and mass capacitance is important for the practical application of supercapacitors. Here, we fabricated the porous NiCoP nanowalls supported by Ni foam (NiCo-P/NF) for supercapacitors with win-win high-area and mass capacitance. The NiCoOH nanowall precursor was prepared by controlling the deposition rate of Ni2+ and Co2+ on NF through a sodium acetate-assisted (floride-free) process. After the phosphorization, the NiCo-P nanowalls formed with high loading about 8.6 mg cm−2 on NF. The electrode combined several advantages favorable for energy storage: the plentiful pores beneficial for ion transport, the nanowalls for easy accommodation of electrolyte, good conductivity of NiCo-P for easy transport of electrons. As expected, the NiCo-P/NF exhibited a high specific mass capacitance (1,861 F g−1 at 1 A g−1, 1,070 F g−1 at 10 A g−1), and high area capacitance (17.31 F cm−2 at 5 mA cm−2 and 10 F cm−2 at 100 mA cm−2). The asymmetric supercapacitor (ASC) composed of NiCo-P/NF positive electrode coupled with commercial active carbon negative electrode exhibited a high energy density of 44.9 W h kg−1 at a power density of 750 W kg−1. The ASC can easily drive fans, electronic watch and LED lamps, implying their potential for the practical application.

Porous and adsorption properties of activated carbon prepared from cocoa pod husk by chemical activation

Utilization of cocoa pod husk (CPH) for the preparation of high-surface-area activated carbon (AC) by using low-pollution potassium hydroxide (KOH) as an activating agent was studied in this work. The thermochemical results of CPH, including the proximate analysis, calorific value, organic and mineral component analyses, showed that the biomass should be a great precursor based on its large percentage of volatile matter and less amount of fixed carbon. A series of activation experiments were conducted to produce activated carbons from dries CPH at different temperatures (i.e., 400, 500, 600, 700, and 800 °C) held for 30 min. To evaluate the potential for adsorbent in removing environmental pollutants, the resulting activated carbons were subject to the analyses of chemical and physical properties, including elemental analysis, true density, surface area/pore volume, and surface morphology by scanning electron microscope (SEM). Based on the pore properties, activation temperature at around 800 °C seemed to be the optimal condition for producing highly microporous AC, where its BET surface area (> 1800 m2/g) and total pore volume (about 0.95 cm3/g) largely increased compared with that of the AC produced at 400 °C (ca. 6.0 m2/g). Based on the adsorption kinetic performance tests, it showed that it is feasible to use the resulting AC as an effectively low-cost adsorbent for the removal of organic compound (e.g., dye) from aqueous solution in comparison with commercial AC.