Activation of adsorbent is the process of increasing the adsorption power of the adsorbent.
The following methods are used to activate adsorbents:
(I) Increasing the adsorbent surface area. This can be done by breaking it down into tiny bits or into powdered form.
(ii) Some specialized treatments can be used to activate the adsorbent. For example, wood charcoal is activated by heating it between 650 and 1330 degrees Celsius in a vacuum or air. It expels all absorbed or adsorbed gases thus creating a place for gas adsorption.