The surface area of activated carbon plays a crucial role in its adsorption capacity for pollutants. Activated carbon is a highly porous material with a large internal surface area, which allows it to adsorb a wide range of pollutants from various media, such as air, water, and soil.The adsorption capacity of activated carbon is directly proportional to its surface area. This means that as the surface area of the activated carbon increases, so does its ability to adsorb pollutants. The reason behind this is that a larger surface area provides more adsorption sites for the pollutants to attach to, thus increasing the overall capacity of the activated carbon to remove pollutants.The surface area of activated carbon can be increased through various activation processes, such as physical activation using steam or carbon dioxide or chemical activation using chemicals like phosphoric acid or potassium hydroxide . These processes create a highly porous structure in the carbon, which in turn increases its surface area and enhances its adsorption capacity.In summary, the surface area of activated carbon is a critical factor in determining its adsorption capacity for pollutants. A larger surface area provides more adsorption sites, allowing the activated carbon to effectively remove a greater amount of pollutants from the environment.