What do you understand by activation of adsorbent? How is it achieved?

Explanation

Activation of adsorbent means increasing the adsorbing power of the adsorbent. It is generally done by the following methods.
(i) Charcoal is activated by heating in contact with super heated steam or in vaccuum at 620 - 1270 K. This open up the pores of the charcoal by removing the volatile sooty matter and thus making is a more efficient adsorbent.
(ii) Metals like Pt, Pd, Fe, Mo etc. are subdivided into smaller pieces to increase their surface area. A larger surface area, means more adsorbing power.