Modification of activated carbon for enhancement of gas contaminant removal: a review

Activated carbon is used in numerous environmental applications for gas contaminants uptake. The major factors that determine the application of activated carbon for specific application are surface area, pore size and surface chemistry of the carbon. Therefore, effectiveness of activated carbon is dependent on modification of its properties to enhance its affinity towards specific gas contaminants. This is due to the diversity in nature and properties of the contaminants. The activated carbon surface functional groups and pore structure are strongly dependent on the methods of activation and the nature precursor used. Therefore, the main focus of researchers is to develop or modifies the activation techniques in an optimal manner using appropriate precursors for specific applications. This paper aims at reviewing some of the techniques used in modification of the activated carbon to enhance its adsorptive property towards specific gas contaminants uptake. From literature, it’s revealed that modification increase contaminant uptake by more than factor of two