Activated carbon production by co-carbonization of feathers using water-soluble phenolic resin under controlled graphitization

We attempted to use feathers for the production of activated carbon (AC). A water-soluble resol-type phenolic resin was hybridized to prevent the liquefaction of the feathers and to control the graphitization degree of charcoal. The hybridization could effectively increase the yield of charcoal over 30% and maintained the graphitization degree at approximately 0.1, suitable for the production of AC. The Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) surface area and the iodine-adsorption capacity of hybrid charcoal-based AC were 706 m2/g and 550 mg/g, respectively, which were 1.7-1.8 times greater than those of the feather-based AC at a similar activation level.