Sugarcane bagasse has been used as a substrate for the development of microporous nano-activated carbons for the treatment and elimination of dissolved materials from aquatic environment. The activated carbon was produced using chemical activation in one-step method with zinc chloride ( ZnCl2) as the activating agent at a carbonization temperatures range from 500 to 900 °C. The effects of temperature and time of carbonization on the activated carbon product properties were thoroughly studied. The activated carbons that resulted were characterized using the N2 adsorption/desorption isotherms, Brunauer–Emmett–Teller method (BET), pore property analysis, micropore (MP) surface area, t-plot surface area, TGA, FTIR, SEM, TEM, and EDX analyses. The prepared activated carbon’s point of zero charge, Boehm titration process, iodine removal percentage, and methylene blue number were also investigated. The prepared activated carbon’s maximum surface area was achieved using a 2/1 impregnation ratio (dried sugarcane bagasse/ZnCl2) at 600 °C temperature of carbonization and 60 min residence time. 1402.2 m2/ g, 0.6214 and 1.41 cm3/ g, respectively, were the largest surface area, total pore volume, and micropore volume. As the activation temperature increased, the total pore volume increased and the BET study measured a pore diameter of 0.7 nm and a mean pore diameter of 1.77 nm.

The study was conducted to find the critical concentrations of zinc toxicity and to determine the changes of the contents of free proline and organic acids with treatment of different zinc chloride concentrations during rice germination and seedlings grown for seven days. The concentration of zinc chloride, 140 ppm, inhibited root elongation as much as 46 times compared with the control, and the germination rate was also decreased in all treatments of zinc chloride, showing that the germination rate decreased more with increasing concentrations of zinc chloride. Its rate was only 13% with treatment of 140 ppm zinc chloride. The content of free proline with treatment of zinc chloride, 140 ppm, was highest about 4,873 ~mu M at 3 days compared with the control. Malic acid concentration with treatment of zinc chloride, 140 ppm, increased to approximately 4 times compared to the control. Citric and succinic acid content were also slightly increased in all treatments of zinc chloride