Ethylene glycol retention method for estimating specific surface area of adsorbent carbons

Ethylene glycol retention method, standardised by Dyal and Hendricks for clays and soils, has been used for determining specific surface areas of a large variety of adsorbent carbons differing widely in the extent as well as chemical nature of their surfaces. The proposed method yields values comparable with those obtained by the gaseous adsorption methods, irrespective of the oxygen contents of the carbons. A small amount of oxygen, probably within 0.2%, is essential to bring about proper wetting of the carbon by glycol.