Adsorption of methylene blue on cardboard-based activated carbons treated with zinc chloride and potassium hydroxide

Activated carbons were derived from cardboard by carbonization, ZnCl2 activation and KOH activation. The ZnCl2- activated carbon samples showed a higher removal of methylene blue from water. The ZnCl2-activated carbon prepared at 600℃ (CB-Z_600) showed a greater adsorption amount of 227 mg/g, that would be directly associated with its well-developed pore properties compared with the other carbon samples. Among several experimental factors examined, the surface area was found to be the most influential factor for methylene blue adsorption onto the prepared activated carbons. It was also revealed that the methylene blue adsorption data were fitted well with the pseudo-second-order kinetics model and Langmuir isotherm model