The activated carbon is acknowledged as a promising adsorbent to be applied in various applications due to its low cost, well-developed pore structures, and high adsorption capacity. At present, the increasing abundance of oil palm wastes has resulted in various environmental problems. Accordingly, these agro wastes can be employed as potential low-cost precursors for the activated carbon production. This review paper presents a comprehensive overview on the recent advancement in the utilisation of oil palm wastes as the origin of the activated carbon production, specifically from the year 2011 to the present. Throughout this review paper, a strong emphasis is put on the recent activation methodology towards the oil palm residues. This includes the types of thermal heating mode: conventional furnace-heating and microwave-heating. The experimental designs applied in fabricating the activated carbons from the oil palm wastes are discussed. Overall, this review paper assists researchers to move forward in exploring a simple and economically-viable technique to produce oil palm wastes-based activated carbon with outstanding physiochemical properties and excellent adsorption capacity. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.