Carbon sorbent from carbonized peat

The physicochemical and adsorptive properties of a carbon sorbent obtained by the microwave carbonization of peat were studied. With the use of IR spectroscopy and elemental analysis, it was found that, under the action of microwave radiation, the concentration of functional groups in peat decreased and, as a result, the carbon content of peat increased. It was established that the adsorption activity of the carbon sorbent for iodine considerably increased as a result of carbonization, and that for methylene blue and methanyl yellow decreased. The carbon sorbents obtained by the microwave carbonization of peat had a total pore volume of 1.02 cm(3)/g and a specific surface area of no smaller than 1350 m(2)/g.