Gas-adsorption properties of woodceramics prepared from chicken waste, which was found to be amorphous carbon reinforced by glassy carbon generated from phenolic resin, was studied. The specific surface area as determined by the multipoint BET method was 33.41 m(2) g(-1) (N-2, 77 K) and 63.40 m(2) g(-1) (CO2, 195 K), and the adsorption isotherm was of Type IIb (IUPAC classification). These results suggested the presence of narrow micropores and the formation of aggregates with nonrigid slit-shaped pores. Furthermore, from gas-adsorption studies and by preliminary field testing for mercury adsorption using flue gas from a coal-firing power plant, chicken-waste woodceramics was found to function as active carbon. The chicken-waste woodceramics was found to have higher mercury adsorption properties as compared with other woodceramics or a commercially available active carbon. It was presumed that calcium, potassium, sulfur, and other chemical species which were contained as impurities increased the sorption capacity for mercury.