Activated carbon was prepared by physical activation in CO2 from a low-ash subbituminous coal. The preparation process consisted of carbonization of the coal in N-2 followed by activation of the resulting chats in CO2. The activation temperature ranged from 700 to 950 degrees C. Experimental results revealed that the surface area, pore volume and average pore diameter of the activated carbon generally increased with the amount of carbon burnoff carried out at the same temperature. These surface characteristics were also influenced by the variation of the activation temperature. It was Sound that the porosity of the cm bon passed through a maximum at a temperature of 750 degrees C. The activation energy for the carbon gasification in CO2 was calculated to be in a range of 130-180 kJ/mol, based on the assumption that the reaction rare was proportional to the surface area of the carbon. The apparent order with respect to CO2 partial pressure for the gasification was Sound to be within the range of 0.15-0.25.