Two-step optimization of the preparation conditions of a high-quality activated carbon derived from sawdust

In this study, we optimized five preparation conditions of an activated carbon obtained from sawdust by chemical activation with phosphoric acid H3PO4. The fractional factorial design and Doehlert uniform shell design were used to identify the most influential factors of impregnation time, impregnation ratio, heating rate, activation temperature, and time of stay and to determine the optimal conditions of preparations. The optimal preparation conditions were identified as an impregnation ratio of 1.92, an impregnation time of 6.02 h, a heating rate of 20 degrees C/min, an activation temperature of 500 degrees C, and a time of stay of 30 min. The optimal activated carbon was characterized by SEM/EDX, FTIR, XRD, BET, and pH(pzc). The results reveal that the prepared material had a porous structure with a variety of functional groups, a surface area of 254.69 m(2)/g, and a pH(pzc) of 2.9.