Carbons have been produced from Amaga coal using ZnCl2 as a catalyst to increase carbon yields during pyrolysis. It was found that the surface area and micropore volume could be increased by swelling the coal using solvents to create porosity in the coal and increase the dispersion of the catalyst. The highest surface area was achieved using pyridine as the swelling agent and a ratio of 1: 1 wt coal: ZnCl2.