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Method is suggested for obtaining biochar materials by treatment of a finely dispersed (≤0.1 mm) bark of aspen and(or) larch with a 40% formaldehyde solution and subsequent thermal activation of the activated bark. It was found that keeping the composite at a temperature of 50–80°C for three days makes the binding process complete. Further carbonization at temperatures of 350–900°C yields a biochar with bulk structure. The method of IR spectroscopy confirmed that the functional composition of bark changes under the action of a cross-linking agent and — CH2 — bonds are additionally formed. It was found that the larch bark containing lignins of predominantly G-type and condensed tannins is more suitable for obtaining porous biochar materials (with specific surface area of 94–161 m2 g−1) as compared with the aspen bark. The adsorption properties of biochar materials produced from the modified bark in removal of Cu(II) ions from aqueous solutions. It was found that, on being carbonized at 900°C, a sample of modified aspen bark can extract 122.9 to 220 mg g−1 of copper compounds on raising the sorption temperature from 25 to 45°C.

Highly porous materials containing zinc oxide were prepared form modified pine wood. The growth dynamics of zinc oxide microcrystallites in the course of carbonization of pine sawdust mixed with ZnCl2 was studied. The hexagonal wurtzite-type ZnO phase is formed at 400°С and is broken down at approximately 800°С. The synthesized composite material has a high specific surface area, up to 1900 m2 g–1. The relationships of the porous structure formation in the composite in relation to the temperature and subsequent treatment with water were revealed. Opening of the porous structure of the composite in the course of carbonization of modified pine sawdust is associated with the formation of crystal-like phases of carbon and ZnO.

Certain fundamental aspects of how the porous structure is formed in carbon materials produced by pyrolysis of microcrystalline cellulose modified with phosphoric acid, potassium hydroxide, and zinc chloride were determined. The above chemical promoters shift the onset of the process of intense thermal transformation of cellulose to lower temperatures and promote formation of porous carbon materials. Water treatment of porous carbon materials produced by pyrolysis of microcrystalline cellulose with high content of a promoter leads to additional pore opening due to the removal of the excess amount of the promoter and soluble products formed in its interaction with cellulose, which makes it possible to obtain porous carbon materials with specific surface area of up to 1500 m2 g−1.

Study of the carbonization of birch wood demonstrated that, under conditions of a preliminary carbonization at a temperature of 400°C, KOH favors better, compared with NaOH, development of the specific surface area (S BET ≈ 2000 m2 g−1) and microporous volume (0.6 cm3 g−1). The resulting porous carbon materials possess improved adsorption properties and are effective in separation of He(H2)-CH4 mixtures.

Carbonization of birch sawdust modified with zinc chloride and selected properties of the resulting porous carbon materials were studied.

Intercalation compounds of GT-1 and GAK-3 graphites were electrically synthesized in concentrated sulfuric and nitric acids. Porous composite samples based on thermally expanded graphite produced from electrochemically synthesized GT-1 graphite hydrosulfate, chemically synthesized GSM-1 graphite nitrate, and fluoroplastic-4D (1–15 wt %), with a volume density of 650–1090 g l−2, were fabricated and studied.