Characterization of activated carbon produced from industrial waste of yerba mate by chemical activation with ZnCl2

In this study, activated carbons (ACs) were prepared by chemical activation with ZnCl2 of yerba mate (YM) branches in a ratio of 1:1 mass of carbon vs. mass of activating agent, performing the pyrolysis at 550, 650, and 750°C in a stream of nitrogen for 60 and 120 minutes. The resulting AC were characterized by various techniques, such as Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) analysis, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and X-ray diffraction (XRD) to confirm its characteristic properties. The surface area and pore volume of the resulting ACs decreased with increasing temperature. The samples obtained at 650°C of treatment have the maximum BET-specific surface area of 940 m2 g-1.