Preparation, Characterisation and Application of Activated Carbon Prepared from Different Polymers

Abstract

Emission of organic vapors from industrial and commercial sources is a cause of photochemical smog and nuisance odors. This certainly needs to be controlled. Recovery of organic vapors can be achieved by several methods such as condensation, absorption, adsorption, contact oxidation, and incineration. The adsorption method using activated carbon (AC) possesses many advantages for removal and recovery of VOC’s in low concentrations. These materials have been widely used in the separation and purification of gas or liquid streams. AC can be prepared from a variety of low cost-high availability materials by either physical or chemical activation. In this work, two series of AC were prepared, one by the pyrolysis of recycled granulated PET by chemical activation with KOH, at different temperatures, and another from PEEK by physical activation with CO2 at 1173K. All AC obtained were characterised by the adsorption of N2 at 77K and the isotherms were analyzed with the BET and s methods and the DR equation. Some results were previously reported [1-3].