Properties of activated carbon regulated by rapid cooling treatment after pyrolysis

Abstract

Effects of rapid cooling following pyrolysis were studied relative to the properties of activated carbon using different biomass as the raw materials. Coconut shell-based activated carbon (CSAC), bamboo-based activated carbon (BAC), and straw-based activated carbon (WSAC) were activated via high temperature and subsequently rapidly cooled to below minus 150 °C. The results showed that rapid cooling effectively increased the specific surface area, pore volume, and yield of activated carbons. Compared to natural cooling, rapid cooling increased the specific surface area of CSAC from 1076 m2/g to 1484 m2/g, increased the pore volume from 1.46 mL/g to 1.57 mL/g, decreased the average pore size from 2.25 nm to 2.13 nm, and increased the yield from 27.1% to 31.5%. The variation of the properties of activated carbon after rapid cooling using different raw materials and process conditions were studied using orthogonal experiments.