Activated carbons were produced from reedy grass leaves by chemical activation with H3PO4 in N2 atmo-
sphere and their characteristics were investigated. The effects of activation temperature and time were
examined. Adsorption capacity was demonstrated with BET and iodine number. Micropore volume and
pore
size
distribution
of
activated
carbons
were
characterized
by
N2 adsorption
isotherms.
The
surface
area and iodine number of the activated carbons produced at 500 ◦
C for 2 h were 1474 m2/g and 1128 mg/g,
respectively. Thermal decomposition of pure reedy grass leaves and H3PO4-impregnated reedy grass
leaves have been investigated with thermogravimetric/mass spectroscopy (TG–MS) technique. It was
found that the temperature and intensity of maximum evolution of H2O and CO2 of H3PO4-impregnated
reedy grass leaves were lower than that of pure reedy grass leaves. This implies that H3PO4 as an activat-
ing reagent changed the thermal degradation of the reedy grass leaves, stabilized the cellulose structure,
leading to a subsequent change in the evolution of porosity. The results of X-ray photoelectron spec-
troscopy and Fourier-infrared spectroscopy analysis indicate that the produced activated carbons have
rich functional groups on surface.