Jute stick/stalk can be used to prepared and carboxylated to yield useful activated carbons, e.g., for removing Pb.sup.2+ from drinking water. Such activated carbons can act as an inexpensive adsorbents using agricultural waste or by-products. Carboxylation of jute stick activated carbon (JSAC) can improve its efficiency for Pb.sup.2+ removal, e.g., from aqueous solutions, even if its BET surface area is reduced. Carboxylated JSAC (JSAC-COO.sup.−) can have surface areas around 615.3±0.5, 1, 2.5, 5, 10, 15, 20, or 25 m.sup.2/g. JSAC-COO.sup.− can treat varied Pb.sup.2+ concentrations, 10, 25 mg/L, etc., pHs, e.g., 4.0, 7.0, etc., temperatures, e.g., 15° C., 27° C., etc., and contact periods, e.g., 1, 5, 10, 15, 30, 60 minutes, etc., achieving up to 99.8% Pb.sup.2+ removal within 15 minutes of contact JSAC-COO.sup.− adsorption capacity can be >25.0 mg Pb.sup.2+/g, as well as other metal ions, with potential for water and/or gas treatment.

Provided is a method of producing activated carbon from a resin composite made up of furanic polymer. The method includes producing a resin composite from feedstock (e.g., in the presence of an acid and a salt), combining the resin composite with a base to form an impregnated material, and carbonizing the impregnated material to produce the and salt activated carbon. Provided herein are also resin composites and activated carbon materials.

Provided is a method of producing activated carbon from a resin composite made up of furanic polymer. The method includes producing a resin composite from feedstock (e.g., in the presence of an acid and a salt), combining the resin composite with a base to form an impregnated material, and carbonizing the impregnated material to produce the and salt activated carbon. Provided herein are also resin composites and activated carbon materials.

The present invention relates to an activated carbon, having a pore volume (A) of 0.3 to 0.7 mL/g at a pore diameter of 6.5 to 50 nm as determined by mercury intrusion porosimetry, a pore volume (B) of 0.23 mL/g or less at a pore diameter of 750 to 4,000 nm as determined by mercury intrusion porosimetry, and a pore volume ratio (A)/(B) of 1.7 or higher.

A porous carbon material includes a hierarchical porous structure including a primary microporous structure and at least one of a secondary mesoporous structure and a secondary macroporous structure. The porous carbon material is formed by combining a halogenated-hydrocarbon, an aprotic hydrocarbon solvent, and a reductant to initiate a reaction that forms intermediate particles having a microporous framework; and subjecting the intermediate particles to a heat treatment at a heat treatment temperature ranging from about 300° C. to less than 1,500° C. for a heat treatment time period ranging from about 20 minutes to about 10 hours to thereby form the porous carbon material. The aprotic hydrocarbon solvent is selected from the group consisting of toluene, hexane, cyclohexane, and combinations thereof.

A porous carbon material includes a hierarchical porous structure including a primary microporous structure and at least one of a secondary mesoporous structure and a secondary macroporous structure. The porous carbon material is formed by combining a halogenated-hydrocarbon, an aprotic hydrocarbon solvent, and a reductant to initiate a reaction that forms intermediate particles having a microporous framework; and subjecting the intermediate particles to a heat treatment at a heat treatment temperature ranging from about 300° C. to less than 1,500° C. for a heat treatment time period ranging from about 20 minutes to about 10 hours to thereby form the porous carbon material. The aprotic hydrocarbon solvent is selected from the group consisting of toluene, hexane, cyclohexane, and combinations thereof.

The present invention relates to an activated carbon, having a BET specific surface area (A) of 1,250 to 1,800 m.sup.2/g as determined from a carbon dioxide adsorption isotherm, and a ratio (B)/(C) of 0.640 or lower between a pore volume (B) mL/g at a pore diameter of 0.4 to 0.7 nm and a pore volume (C) mL/g at a pore diameter of 0.7 to 1.1 nm as determined by performing a grand canonical Monte Carlo simulation on a carbon dioxide adsorption-desorption isotherm.

The present invention relates to an activated carbon, having a BET specific surface area (A) of 1,250 to 1,800 m.sup.2/g as determined from a carbon dioxide adsorption isotherm, and a ratio (B)/(C) of 0.640 or lower between a pore volume (B) mL/g at a pore diameter of 0.4 to 0.7 nm and a pore volume (C) mL/g at a pore diameter of 0.7 to 1.1 nm as determined by performing a grand canonical Monte Carlo simulation on a carbon dioxide adsorption-desorption isotherm.

Provided are methods for preparing carbon powders and activated carbon powders from cellulose-containing liquids. In some embodiments, the methods include exposing a cellulose-containing liquid to a hydrothermal carbonization process to convert the carbonaceous material present therein into a carbon powder. Also provided are methods for activating carbon powders, methods for producing carbon powder-containing polymer matrices, and carbon powders, activated carbon powders, and polymer matrices that that include the disclosed carbon powders and/or activated carbon powders that are produced by the presently disclosed methods.

A method of forming a carbon material from the stalk or roots of a plant of the Nicotiana species is provided herein, wherein the method includes i) receiving a tobacco material comprising at least one of a stalk material and a root material of a harvested plant of the Nicotiana species; and ii) pyrolyzing the tobacco material to remove volatiles and to form a tobacco-derived carbon material. Optionally, the method can further include activating the tobacco-derived carbon material. The tobacco-derived carbon material can be incorporated into a tobacco product. A carbon material derived from pyrolyzing a tobacco material in the form of at least one of a tobacco stalk material and a tobacco root material of a harvested plant of the Nicotiana species is also provided herein.