Applicability of hybrid aspen (Populus tremula L. × P. tremuloides Michx.) bark extract as a precursor of rigid carbon foam and activated carbon

Hybrid aspens have long attracted scientific interest, but the research on their use as feedstocks for chemical applications are still very limited. The bark biomass of the poplar species contains many valuable extractives that can be utilized as value-added products. This paper examines the applicability of hybrid aspen (Populus tremula L. × P. tremuloides Michx.) bark extract as a precursor of rigid carbon foam and activated carbon. To explore this, the study considers 1) the basic chemical composition of the bark in terms of added value potential, 2) the basic chemical composition of the bark extract and the effect of its pretreatment on the extract composition, 3) the production of rigid carbon foam, and 4) the chemical activation of carbon foam with different impregnating agents. The study determines that the bark extract of the hybrid aspen can be used as a precursor for rigid carbon foam and further processed into an activated carbon product. Therefore, the bark extract of Populus tremula L. × P. tremuloides Michx. can be assessed as a potential value-added product that increases the use value of the hybrid aspen biomass. •The hot-water extract of Hybrid aspen bark can be used as a precursor to produce rigid carbon foam and activated carbon.•Pretreatment of the bark extract by XAD purification improves the rise and lowers the density of the rigid foam produced.•XAD purification of the bark extract has no advantage in activated carbon production.•The ZnCl2 impregnating agent produced a good yield of activated carbon and the best product quality.