The synthesis of resorcinol formaldehyde xerogels was investigated by controlling its porosity for potential
use as adsorbents for heavy metals removal from industrial wastewater. Resorcinol formaldehyde carbon
xerogels were synthesised by sol-gel polymerization of resorcinol (R) with formaldehyde (F) in the
presence of sodium carbonate (C) and then vacuum dried. Resorcinol formaldehyde (RF) gels were
synthesised at same temperature conditions with varying resorcinol / catalyst (R/C) and resorcinol / water
(R/W) ratios. The influence of R/C and R/W ratios on the pore structure of the xerogels was investigated.
Surface area and porosity of the resorcinol formaldehyde gels were analysed by physical adsorption
(physiosorption) of nitrogen (N2) at 77 K. The result(s) showed an increase in mesoporosity and pore size
as R/C ratio increases. At resorcinol / catalyst (R/C) of 200, the pore size and pore volume increased with
increase in R/W ratio. From the result, it can be concluded that the resorcinol / catalyst (R/C) and
resorcinol / water (R/W) ratios are two contributing factors to determining the pore structure of the
xerogels.