2.3. Characterization of the AC samples
The textural characterization of the prepared AC included the
surface area, the extent of micro- and mesoporosity, while the pore
size distribution was conducted using N2 adsorption/desorption at
77 K using Micromeritics ASAP 2010. The specific surface areas
were calculated from the N2 adsorption isotherm with Brunauer,
Emmet and Teller (BET) equation at the relative pressure in the
range of 0.001–0.3 bar. The total pore volume was determined
from the amount of N2 adsorbed at P/P 0 0.99. The volume of
micropores was estimated using the MP method, calculated by
subtracting the micropore volume from the total pore volume. The
mesopore volume distribution was calculated according to BJH
method. It should be mentioned that prior to all adsorption
measurements, the AC samples were degassed at 250 8C under
vacuum for 2 h.