Activated carbons were prepared from waste lyres by gasification with steam and carbon dioxide and their characteristics were investigated. A two-stage activation procedure (pyrolysis at 800 degrees C in N-2 atmosphere, followed by steam or carbon dioxide activation) was used for the production of activated samples. The effect of the activation temperature (750-900 degrees C) and the activation time (1-3 h) on the surface characteristics of the prepared carbon was investigated. Carbons produced to different degrees of bum-off were characterized by means of their nitrogen adsorption isotherms at 77 K. In both sets of experiments, the mesopore, micropore volume, and BET surface area increased almost linearly with the degree of activation. For bum-off values lower than 53%, the steam activation produced carbons with a narrower and more extensive microporosity and higher BET and external surface area than the carbon dioxide activation. As the activation proceeds (bum-off > 53%), a strong development of the mesoporosity in the carbons was observed and the micropores size distribution revealed broader micropores, that is, a more heterogeneous distribution. (c) 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.