Abstract: The surface structure characteristics of barbecue bamboo charcoal was analyzed using X\|ray diffraction （XRD）， scanning electron microscope and X\|ray energy dispersive spectrometer （SEM\|EDS）， and Fourier transform infrared spectrometer （FTIR）. The adsorption behavior of ammonium onto bamboo charcoal was also investigated by adsorption experiments. The results showed that the barbecue bamboo charcoal was dominated with micro\|pore， and contained various oxygen\|functional groups （\|OH，\|COOH）， methylene， trans\|isoolefine， aromatic and aliphatic compounds. Ammonium adsorption equilibrium was reached within about 80 min， and the adsorption capacity of barbecue bamboo charcoal tended to increase with elevated ammonium concentration in solutions. The Freundlich isotherm equation could well describe the isothermal adsorption behavior of ammonium on barbecue bamboo charcoal. The ΔG of the equation is negative， while ΔH is positive， indicating that the adsorption reaction of ammonia nitrogen is spontaneous. The pseudo\|second\|order model could effectively explain the adsorption kinetics. Pore diffusion， surface adsorption and intra\|particle diffusion would affect the adsorption process.

Key words: barbecue bamboo charcoal, ammonia nitrogen, adsorption mechanism, surface structure