Activated carbons were prepared by ZnCl2/CO2 activation of the chips of oil palm trunk. The surface area and the nature of the porosity of the resulting activated carbons were found to be related to the concentration of the impregnated zinc solution to the precursor. It is possible to prepare activated carbons with a fairly high surface area (mote than 2000 m(2) g(-1)) from chips of oil palm trunk.