Preparation of activated carbons from bamboo and their adsorption abilities for dyes and phenol

Based on iodine number, adsorption capacity of methylene blue, the BET specific surface area, and the yield, the conditions for preparation of activated carbon as adsorbents from bamboo were optimized. The activation temperature and activation time tested were in the ranges 700 similar to 880 degrees C and 1 similar to 3 h, respectively. Equilibrium isotherms and rates for the adsorption of two dyes and phenol from aqueous solutions onto such activated carbons were measured at 30 degrees C. The equilibrium isotherms could be fit by the Langmuir equation and the adsorption rates could be analyzed by a plot of amounts of adsorption versus the square root of time. The present results showed that the activated carbons prepared in this work appeared to be economically promising for the removal of dyes and phenol, compared to other commercial adsorbents.