Utilization of zinc chloride for surface modification of activated carbon derived from Jatropha curcas L. for absorbent material.

The objective of this research is to produce the low-cost activated carbon from Jatropha curcas L. by chemical activation using zinc chloride ZnCl2. The effects of the impregnation ratio on the surface and chemical properties of activated carbon were investigated. The impregnation ratio was selected at the range of 1:1-10:1 for investigation. The optimum conditions resulted in an activated carbon with a carbon content of 80% wt, while the specific surface area evaluated using nitrogen adsorption isotherm corresponds to 600 m2/g.