Characteristics of Activated Carbon from Oil Palm Fronds with the Addition of Sodium Carbonate (Na2CO3) and Sodium Chloride (NaCl) as an Activator

This paper aims to understand the difference in characteristics of activated carbon produced from oil palm fronds (Elaeis guineensis Jacq) through the addition of two different activators, namely sodium carbonate (Na2CO3) and sodium chloride (NaCl). To do this, activator concentration of 10 percent each with activation temperature of 600 oC were applied in the experiment. Moreover, to determine the quality of activated carbon produced, a morphological analysis of activated carbon surfaces as well as FTIR spectra analysis on activated carbon. Identification using FTIR spectrophotometer revealed that the activated carbon in this study contained functional groups of O-H, C = O, C = C, C-C, and C-H.