Cork powder is the main residue of cork industry, being generated
throughout all the fabrication stages of cork products (milling,
sanding, cutting, etc.), and representing 25–30% of the raw material.
Portugal is the major cork manufacturer, followed by Spain,
summing up more than 70% of the cork powder generated worldwide.
This residue has been traditionally employed as combustion
fuel and to a lesser extent, as agricultural subtract or as a source of
chemicals [18]. Recently, cork powder has attracted attention as a
raw material for the preparation of activated carbons, where both
chemical [19–22] and physical [22] activation have conducted to
microporous materials with good adsorption performance in both
the liquid and the gas phases.
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