Performance and characterization of bamboo-based activated carbon prepared by boric acid activation

Exposure to formaldehyde (HCHO) may have serious harm to human health because of its existence in indoor air. It is a simple and effective solution to remove formaldehyde from the environment by adsorption. Activated carbon is the primary adsorbent for the formaldehyde pollution control strategy. In this study, bamboo-based activated carbon (BAC) was prepared from bamboo charcoal (BC) by boric acid activation method and applied to remove formaldehyde in the air at room temperature. The structure and physicochemical properties of BAC were investigated by N2 adsorption-desorption, X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, scanning electron microscope, thermogravimetric and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The results showed that the oxygen-containing functional group, amorphous degree and specific surface area of BAC were improved compared with BC, which improved its formaldehyde removal performance. The specific surface area and formaldehyde removal rate of BAC were 289.21 m2/g and 93.25% respectively, which were 288.37 m2/g and 49.95% higher than those of BC. This study provides a new idea for a better understanding of BC adsorbent that controls HCHO pollutant.