Natural Mesoporous Activated Carbon from Toxic Plant Stellera Chamaejasme Roots by Chemical Methods

Stellera chamaejasme widely distributed on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau is a poisonous plant causing serious harm to grassland. Activated carbons have been prepared from the roots of Stellera chamaejasme via phosphoric acid and zinc chloride activation at500 °C for 60 min with an impregnation ratio of 3:1. Yield (25.1% -27.6%), ash (4.5%-4.9%), methylene blue ( 195.0 mg/g-254.5 mg/g), iodine value (720.4 mg/g- 810.5 mg/g), specific surface area (1023.3 m 2 /g-1216.7 m 2 /g), specific pore volume (2.13 cm 3 /g-2.26 cm 3 /g), mesopore volume (1.30 cm 3 /g-1.59 cm 3 /g) and average pore size (5.88nm-7.45 nm) of the products were determined. The results from both the zinc chloride and phosphoric acid activation processes showed that the activated carbons of S. chamaejasme roots exhibit a characterization of natural developed mesopores.