Hydrogen adsorption characteristics of activated carbon

Hydrogen adsorption on activated carbons was investigated in the present works up to 100 bars at 298 K. Coconut-shell was activated by potassium hydroxide, resulting in activated carbons with different porosities. All of prepared activated carbons are microporous and show the same adsorption properties. The complete reversibility and fast kinetics of hydrogen adsorption show that most of adsorbed quantity is due to physical adsorption. A linear relationship between hydrogen adsorption capacity and pressure is obtained for the all samples regardless of their porosities. Hydrogen adsorption capacities are linear function of porosities such as specific surface area, micropore surface area, total pore volume, and micropore volume. The maximum hydrogen adsorption capacity of 0.85 wt.% at 100 bars, 298 K is obtained in these materials.     

酸改性活性炭对甲苯、甲醇的吸附性能

分别用1 mol·L^-1硝酸、1 mol·L^-1盐酸、1 mol·L^-1硫酸对商业活性炭进行浸渍改性。采用比表面积及孔径分析仪、Boehm滴定、傅里叶转换红外光谱(FTIR)对活性炭的物化性质进行表征。以甲苯、甲醇为吸附质,在283 K下进行了固定床吸附实验。研究表明:酸改性能去除表面碱性基团,显著增加表面酸性含氧官能团的含量;酸改性活性炭的吸附量与其比表面积、总孔容、微孔孔容、表面总酸性官能团呈现出良好的线性关系;Langmuir方程比Freundlich方程更加适合描述甲苯、甲醇在活性炭上的吸附;甲醇在活性炭上为物理吸附,甲苯在活性炭上以物理吸附为主,与表面官能团之间的化学键作用能增强甲苯吸附量;甲苯、甲醇在活性炭上的微孔有效扩散系数的大小顺序为:AC-N>AC-1>AC-S>AC-C;并且甲醇的微孔有效扩散系数大于甲苯。     

Advances in the study of methane storage in porous carbonaceous materials

This paper presents an overview of the results of our research group in methane storage, in which the behaviour of different carbon materials in methane storage has been studied. These materials include physically activated carbon fibres (ACFs), chemically activated carbons (ACs) and activated carbon monoliths (ACMs), all of them prepared in our laboratories. These results have been compared with those corresponding to commercial ACFs, commercial activated carbon cloths and felts, and a commercial activated carbon.An in depth analysis (different raw materials, activating agent and preparation variables) has been done in order to obtain the carbon material with the best methane adsorption capacity by unit volume of adsorbent. The important effect of the micropore volume, micropore size distribution (MPSD) and packing density of the carbon materials in the methane adsorption capacity and delivery has been analysed. After this study, activated carbons with volumetric methane uptake as high as 166 v/v and delivery of 145 v/v have been prepared. In addition, ACM with methane uptake of 140 v/v and a delivery of 126 v/v has also been obtained.Moreover, the results corresponding to preliminary in situ small angle neutron scattering (SANS) study of CD₄ adsorption under pressure in different porous carbons and a zeolite are also included. These experiments have established SANS as a viable technique to investigate high-pressure methane adsorption. CD₄ adsorption at supercritical conditions produces changes in the SANS curves. The changes observed are in agreement with theoretical speculations that the density of the adsorbed phase depends upon the pore size.     

Preparation and Phosphine Adsorption of Activated Carbon Prepared from Walnut Shells by KOH Chemical Activation

Walnut-shell activated carbons (WSACs) with high surface area and predominant micropore development were prepared by KOH chemical activation. The effects of carbonization temperature, activation temperature, and ratio of KOH to chars on the pore development of WSACs and PH₃ adsorption performance of the modified walnut-shell activated carbons (MWSACs) were studied. Criteria for determining the optimum preparation conditions were pore development of WSACs and PH₃ breakthrough adsorption capacity of MWSAC adsorbents. The result shows that the optimum preparation conditions are a carbonization temperature of 700°C, an activation temperature of 700°C, and a mass ratio of 3. The BET surface area and the micropore volume of the optimal WASC are 1636m²/g and 0.641cm³/g, respectively. The micropore volume percentage of WSAC plays an important role in PH₃ adsorption when there is a slight difference in BET surface areas. High-surface-area WSACs with predominant micropores are suitable for PH₃ adsorption removal. The MWSAC adsorbent owns the biggest PH₃ breakthrough adsorption capacity (284.12mg/g) due to the biggest specific surface area, total pore volume, and micropore volume percentage. The MWSAC adsorbent will be a potential adsorbent for PH₃ adsorption removal from yellow phosphorus tail gas.     

二苯并呋喃在活性炭上的吸附相平衡和动力学

The adsorption of dibenzofuran on three commercial granular activated carbons （ACs） was investigated by dynamic experiment to correlate the adsorption equilibrium and kinetics with the structure of activated carbons. Physical properties including surface area, average pore diameter, micropore area and micropore volume of the activated carbons were characterized by N2 adsorption experiment on ASAP2010. To calculate the adsorption parameters, adsorption isotherm data were fitted to the Langmuir equation, and adsorption kinetic data were fitted to the linear driving force （LDF） diffusion model. From the correlation results, it is concluded that the adsorption equilibrium and diffusion coefficient of dibenzofuran on activated carbon are controlled respectively by the total adsorbent surface area and the adsorbent pore diameter.     

Role of activated carbon structural properties and surface chemistry in mercury adsorption

In this work the performance of activated carbons prepared from raw and demineralised lignite for gas-phase Hg° removal was evaluated. A two-stage activation procedure was used for the production of the activated samples. In order to study the effect of mineral matter on pore structure development and surface functionality of the activated carbons, a demineralisation procedure involving a three-stage acid treatment of coals, was used, prior to activation. Hg° adsorption tests were realized in laboratory-scale unit consisted of a fixed-bed reactor charged with the tested activated samples. The examined adsorbent properties that may affect removal capacity were the pore structure, the surface chemistry and the presence of sulphur on the surface of activated carbons. The obtained results revealed that activated carbons produced from demineralised lignite posses a high-developed micropore structure with increased total pore volume and BET surface area. These samples exhibit enhanced Hg° adsorptive capacity. In all cases, mercury removal efficiency increased by sulphur addition. Finally, the starting material properties and activation conditions affect the concentration and the type of the oxygen groups on activated carbon surface, that have been determined with TPD-MS experiments.     

Effect of template constraints on adsorption properties of synthetic carbons prepared within the gallery of layered double hydroxides

Mg-Al layered double hydroxides have been synthesized and 1,5-naphthalene disulfonate dianions have been intercalated; the organic molecules were carbonized within the layered framework. For comparison, a reference carbon was prepared from the sodium salt of the 1,5-naphthalene disulfonic acid precursor using conventional carbonization under the same thermal and post-treatment conditions. The surface properties of the carbonized product extracted from the carbon-mixed oxide nanocomposite have been studied by adsorption techniques and the results compared to the adsorption characteristics of the reference carbon. The Sorption of nitrogen at 77 K and carbon dioxide at 298 K demonstrate that, although the two carbons have almost the same specific surface area and total pore volumes, there is a significant difference in their micropore structure. Micropore size distributions calculated from adsorption isotherms of methane and sulfur hexafluoride at near ambient temperatures reveal a more heterogeneous micropore structure for the template derived carbon compared to the reference. The factors controlling micropore structure development during two-dimensional carbonization are discussed based on DTA, results of sorption of carbon dioxide and FTIR spectroscopic measurements.     

Adsorption of methane on corn cobs based activated carbon

Activated carbon was prepared with corn cobs and potassium hydroxide under optimized variables. Due to their botanical origin, corn cobs can be an excellent starting material to produce nanoporous carbon for natural gas storage. Samples with different BET surface areas were chosen to perform methane adsorption experiments. Methane adsorptions on corn cob based activated carbon were studied at four different pressures (500, 1000, 1500 and 2000 psi) and two different temperatures (298 K and 323 K) in a volumetric adsorption apparatus. The volume based methane adsorption results specified an ‘increase in the methane adsorption capacities of activated carbon with increasing surface area and showed that adsorption capacity of methane depends on pressure and temperature. The highest methane storage capacity was found to be 160 (v/v) at 298 K and 1500 psi. The applications include use in the transportation of natural gas, natural gas based vehicles, and adsorption of gas from landfills.     

Comparative study of the textural characteristics of oil palm shell activated carbon produced by chemical and physical activation for methane adsorption

The objective of this study is to relate textural and surface characteristics of microporous activated carbon to their methane adsorption capacity. Oil palm shell was used as a raw material for the preparation of pore size controlled activated carbon adsorbents. The chemical treatment was followed by further physical activation with CO₂. Samples were treated with CO₂ flow at 850 °C by varying activation time to achieve different burn-off activated carbon. H₃PO₄ chemically activated samples under CO₂ blanket showed higher activation rates, surface area and micropore volume compared to other activation methods, though this sample did not present high methane adsorption. Moreover, it was shown that using small proportion of ZnCl₂ and H₃PO₄ creates an initial narrow microporosity. Further physical activation grantees better development of pore structure. In terms of pore size distribution the combined preparation method resulted in a better and more homogenous pore size distribution than the conventional physical activation method. Controlling the pore size of activated carbon by this combined activation technique can be utilized for tuning the pore size distribution. It was concluded that the high surface area and micropore volume of activated carbons do not unequivocally determine methane capacities.     

不同结构活性炭对CO_2、CH_4、N_2及O_2的吸附分离性能

制备了比表面积为1943 m2/g的纯微孔活性炭AC-1和比表面积为1567 m2/g,中孔比例为47.18%的活性炭AC-2.分别以AC-1及AC-2为吸附剂测定CO2、CH4、N2和O2的298 K吸附等温线,考察了两种活性炭对CO2/N2、CO2/CH4及CH4/N2气体混合物的吸附分离性能.实验结果表明,孔结构是影响吸附剂吸附分离性能的主要因素.富中孔活性炭AC-2较AC-1更适用于CO2/N2、CO2/CH4气体混和物的吸附分离,而微孔活性炭AC-1对CH4/N2混合体系的吸附分离性能优于AC-2.     

粘胶活性炭纤维的吸附性能及其孔结构表征

由化学药品磷酸盐催化处理的粘胶纤维在氮气气氛下于８２０℃下炭化,随后用水蒸汽活化制得粘胶活性炭纤维。采用液氮７７．４Ｋ下的吸附测定了该纤维的吸附等温线和常温下的静态苯吸附量以研究其吸附性能,并对其孔结构诸如比表面积、孔容、微孔容等进行了表征。     

Effects of micropore development on the physicochemical properties of KOH-activated carbons

Effects of micropore development through varying the KOH/char ratio on the porous, electrochemical, electronic, and adsorptive properties for corncob-derived activated carbons (ACs) prepared by means of the KOH activation method were systematically compared. The pore properties of ACs, including BET surface area, total pore volume, micropore volume ratio, bulk density, and product yield based on the raw material were investigated to gain an understanding for the influence of KOH dosage on the pore development. Element analysis and temperature-programming desorption (TPD) were used to obtain the information of chemical composition and surface oxygen functional groups on ACs in order to propose the reaction mechanism of KOH activation. Based on the pore development, KOH-activated carbons can be classified into two groups: a combination of physical activation and chemical KOH etching at low KOH/char ratios (0.5-2) as well as chemically uniform etching at high KOH/char ratios (≥3.0). From the adsorption study for five organics with molecular weights varying from 129 to 466 g/mol, the specific adsorption capacity of ACs for organics is independent of their specific surface area. The specific capacitance of ACs reached a maximum as the KOH/char ratio was equal to 3, attributed to a compromise between the specific surface area and electronic resistance of ACs.     

Microporous activated carbon prepared from coconut shells using chemical activation with zinc chloride

Microporous activated carbon samples were prepared from coconut shells (low-cost lignocellulose waste), using chemical activation with zinc chloride followed by physical activation. Textural characterization was performed using nitrogen adsorption at 77 K. The sample that presented the best characterization results was then evaluated for methane adsorption at pressures between 0.1 MPa and 7 MPa and temperatures in the range 283–333 K. At 298 K and 40 bar, a capacity of ca. 122 mg of methane/g of carbon (80 v/v) was observed, just short of the target established in Brazil for ANG in remote sites transportation (100 v/v). These results suggest that activated carbons prepared from coconut shells, using chemical activation followed by physical activation, may be further developed as potential adsorbents for natural gas storage applications.     

Hydrogen storage on chemically activated carbons and carbon nanomaterials at high pressures

Hydrogen adsorption measurements have been carried out at different temperatures (298 K and 77 K) and high pressure on a series of chemically activated carbons with a wide range of porosities and also on other types of carbon materials, such as activated carbon fibers, carbon nanotubes and carbon nanofibers. This paper provides a useful interpretation of hydrogen adsorption data according to the porosity of the materials and to the adsorption conditions, using the fundamentals of adsorption. At 298 K, the hydrogen adsorption capacity depends on both the micropore volume and the micropore size distribution. Values of hydrogen adsorption capacities at 298 K of 1.2 wt.% and 2.7 wt.% have been obtained at 20 MPa and 50 MPa, respectively, for a chemically activated carbon. At 77 K, hydrogen adsorption depends on the surface area and the total micropore volume of the activated carbon. Hydrogen adsorption capacity of 5.6 wt.% at 4 MPa and 77 K have been reached by a chemically activated carbon. The total hydrogen storage on the best activated carbon at 298 K is 16.7 g H₂/l and 37.2 g H₂/l at 20 MPa and 50 MPa, respectively (which correspond to 3.2 wt.% and 6.8 wt.%, excluding the tank weight) and 38.8 g H₂/l at 77 K and 4 MPa (8 wt.% excluding the tank weight).     

Tuning porosity of coal-derived activated carbons for CO2 adsorption

A simple method was developed to tune the porosity of coal-derived activated carbons, which provided a model adsorbent system to investigate the volumetric CO₂ adsorption performance. Specifically, the method involved the variation of the activation temperature in a K₂CO₃ induced chemical activation process which could yield activated carbons with defined microporous (< 2 nm, including ultra-microporous < 1 nm) and meso-micro-porous structures. CO₂ adsorption isotherms revealed that the microporous activated carbon has the highest measured CO₂ adsorption capacity (6.0 mmol∙g^–1 at 0 °C and 4.1 mmol∙g^–1 at 25 °C), whilst ultra-microporous activated carbon with a high packing density exhibited the highest normalized capacity with respect to packing volume (1.8 mmol∙cm⁻³ at 0 °C and 1.3 mmol∙cm^–3 at 25 °C), which is significant. Both experimental correlation analysis and molecular dynamics simulation demonstrated that (i) volumetric CO₂ adsorption capacity is directly proportional to the ultra-micropore volume, and (ii) an increase in micropore sizes is beneficial to improve the volumetric capacity, but may lead a low CO₂ adsorption density and thus low pore space utilization efficiency. The adsorption experiments on the activated carbons established the criterion for designing CO₂ adsorbents with high volumetric adsorption capacity.     

Comparisons of pore properties and adsorption performance of KOH-activated and steam-activated carbons

Carbonaceous adsorbents with controllable pore sizes derived from carbonized pistachio shells (i.e., char) were prepared by the KOH activation and steam activation methods in this work. The pore properties including the BET surface area, pore volume, pore size distribution, and pore diameter of these activated carbons were characterized by the t-plot method based on N₂ adsorption isotherms. Through varying the KOH/char ratios from 0.5 to 3, the KOH-activated carbons exhibited BET surface areas ranging from 731 to 1687 m²/g with a similar micropore content (80–92%). The carbons activated by steam at 830 °C for 2 h had a BET surface area of 821 m²/g with the micropore content of 42%. The micropore/total pore volume ratio (V_micro/V_pore) and average pore size (D_pore) were independent of the KOH/char ratio, revealing that KOH activation is a powerful method in developing and controlling the number of micropores with a very similar pore size distribution. The adsorption equilibria and kinetics of methylene blue, basic brown 1, acid blue 74, 2,4-dichlorophenol, 4-chlorophenol, and phenol from water on all activated carbons at 30 °C were investigated to demonstrate the fact that adsorption of organics is not only dependent upon the BET surface area but is also determined by the relative size between pores and molecules. The adsorption isotherms were subjected to the model fitting according to Langmuir and Freudlich equations. By comparing the projected area of adsorbates, the surface coverage of phenols is about 3.6 times of that of dyes (based on unit gram of activated carbon). The Elovich equation was found to suitably describe the adsorption process of all KOH-activated carbons while the adsorption behavior on the steam-activated carbon was reasonably fitted with the intraparticle diffusion model.     

活化条件对活性炭微球结构与性能的影响

以煤焦油系中间相沥青微球为原料,KOH为活化剂,在不同活化条件下制备活性炭微球。考察了不同活化对活性炭微球结构和性能的影响。研究表明：随着KOH配比的增加,活性炭微球的微孔孔容变化较小,中孔孔容和总孔孔容分别增加到最大值后下降,比表面积增大到最大值后有轻微的降低。活化恒温时间对活性炭微球的活化收率和苯吸附值影响较小;而随着活化湿度的升高,活性炭微球总孔容和中孔孔容增大,比表面积先升高后降低。活性炭微球的苯吸附值随着总孔容的增大而增大。     

A practical review of the performance of organic and inorganic adsorbents for the treatment of contaminated waters

A wide range of materials known for their adsorption properties have the potential for being used for the removal of trace substances from drinking and wastewaters. These include physically and chemically activated carbons, surface modified carbons, non‐porous resins with ion exchange capacities, inorganic microporous solids like zeolites and clays, and mixed organic–inorganic materials like bone chars. The adsorption capacity exhibited by each material relates primarily to its textural and chemical properties. Other factors, however, such as apparent density, regeneration potential and cost, need to be taken into consideration when selecting one adsorbent over another. A comparative investigation of 18 solids and their capacity to remove organics and metals from natural waters and solutions reconstituted to simulate the conditions in natural waters is presented. The experiments were carried out using batch and small‐scale column adsorption tests. In general, zeolites and ion exchange resins exhibited limited capacities to remove organic matter from solution but were highly effective with metallic species like manganese and aluminium. Activated carbons adsorbed organic matter very efficiently, with results showing a correlation between adsorption capacity and surface area (up to 1791 m² g^?1). Metal removal was highly variable and was enhanced in activated carbons subjected to acid washing. Owing to its mixed organic/inorganic nature, and despite its poorly developed micropore structure, bone char exhibited a strong adsorption capacity for both organic and metal species. The high apparent density of this material (0.763 g cm^?3) meant that its performance was greatly improved when tests were conducted on the basis of volume, matching and surpassing the performance of the best carbons. The possibility of using mixtures of complementary adsorbents for the removal of organic and inorganic species from solution was also successfully evaluated in this work. Copyright © 2006 Society of Chemical Industry     

Preparation and characterization of activated carbons for SO<Subscript>2</Subscript> adsorption from Taixi anthracite by physical activation with steam

Taixi anthracite was used as a precursor to prepare activated carbons (AC) for SO₂ adsorption from flue gas. In this work the activated carbons were prepared by physical activation with steam. Specifically, the effects of activation temperature and burn-off degree on the physico-chemical properties of the resulting AC samples were comparatively studied. The different types of pore volumes, pore size distributions and surface chemistries of the activated carbons on the SO₂ adsorption were also analyzed. The results show that the increasing burn-off leads to samples with continuous evolution of all types of pores except ultramicropore. The ultramicropore volume increases to a maximum of 0.169 cm³/g at around 50% burn-off and then decreases for 850 °C activation. At higher activation temperature, the micropore volume decreases and the mesopore structure develops to a certain extent. For all the resulting AC samples, the quantities of the basic surface sites always appear much higher than the amount of the acidic sites. The activated carbon prepared with higher micropore volume, smaller median pore diameter and higher quantities of the basic surface sites represents better SO₂ sorption property.     

Enhanced mercury adsorption in activated carbons from biomass materials and waste tires

Agricultural residues and waste tires constitute an important source of precursors for activated carbon production. Activated carbons offer a potential tool for mercury emissions control. In this work, pine and oak wood, olive seed and tire wastes have been used for the preparation of activated carbons, in order to be examined for their mercury removal capacity. In the case of activated carbons produced from pine/oak woods and tire wastes, a two stage physical activation procedure was applied. Activated carbons derived from olive seeds were prepared by chemical activation using KOH. Pore structure of the samples was characterized by N₂ and CO₂ adsorption, while TPD-IR experiments were performed in order to determine surface oxygen groups. Hg° adsorption experiments were realized in a bench-scale adsorption unit consisting of a fixed-bed reactor. The influence of activation technique and conditions on the resulted activated carbon properties was examined. The effects of pore structure and surface chemistry of activated carbons were also investigated. Activated carbons produced from olive seeds with chemical activation possessed the highest BET surface area with well-developed micropore structure, and the highest Hg° adsorptive capacity. Oxygen surface functional groups (mainly lactones) seem to be involved in Hg° adsorption mechanism.