A preliminary study of biomass-derived activated carbon

Biomass-derived activated carbon (AC) has emerged as a promising material for sustainable energy storage due to its high surface area, porosity, and low production cost in supercapacitor applications. In this preliminary study, AC was prepared from coconut shells through carbonization at varying temperatures (600 °C, 700 °C, and 800 °C), followed by chemical activation with sodium hydroxide (NaOH). Two qualitative assessments were conducted which are bubble formation test to evaluate pore development and a dye adsorption test to examine adsorption performance. The AC carbonized at 800 °C showed the most visible bubbling and completely decolorized the dye, indicating superior porosity and adsorption capacity. Overall, the study confirms the potential of coconut shell-derived activated carbon as a low-cost and efficient adsorbent while highlighting the importance of temperature in optimizing pore structure.