Activated carbon is a porous material that has been in many important ages of the human history. Lignocellulosic precursors and biomass sources have become important materials to produce it because their use produces many benefits, mainly environmental. Nowadays, it is possible to find numerous research papers devoted to the synthesis characterization and applications of novel precursors to produce activated carbon. Hence, special attention must be given to the relationship among the selected precursor characteristics, the final microstructure and properties of carbon. The present work provides a summary of research works outlining the use of lignocellulosic–based precursors to obtain activated carbons. A brief description of the characterization techniques for both, the precursors and activated carbons, comprising: physicochemical, micro/nanostructural, surface chemistry, textural and adsorption capacity features is presented. Finally, the application of these materials in adsorption of heavy metals, dyes, volatile organic compounds, gas storage and electrochemical capacitors is also included.