Diversity of Carbon Pore Structures Obtained by KOH Activation

摘要

Wood-based activated carbons were subjected to a second stage of activation using potassiumhydroxide. The high surface area products obtained exhibited a wide spectrum of porousstructures, from exclusively microporous to predominantly mesoporous. Alkali metal-activationof carbon or carbonaceous precursors is a multi-factorial process in which the effects of allprocess parameters are not fully understood. Nevertheless, it was demonstrated through thiswork that the influence on pore structure of the mass ratio of alkali activant to carbon precursorcan be distinguished from other process variables and accurately described in a mathematicalmodel. The model can be used to set process conditions for the production of activated carbonspossessing specific pore structure characteristics.