Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are atmospheric pollutants coming from the use of solvents in the industry and the storage, distribution and use of fossil fuels. VOCs have direct effect on human health. Moreover, they participate in reactions in the atmosphere with other pollutants contributing to the formation of tropospheric ozone calling them ozone precursors. Toluene is a VOC commonly used as solvent in the industry. Activated carbons have the ability to adsorb it and in a further step, recover it by desorption accomplishing one hand legislation concerning VOC emissions and on the other hand recovering a valuable solvent to be reused in the industry process. In this work, activated carbons have been obtained from the chemical activation with phosphoric acid of almond shells at different impregnation ratios and temperature and time of carbonization. The activated carbons have been extensively characterized by different techniques (TG-DTA, FTIR, TPD, N_2 physisorption). The adsorption capacity of toluene of the carbons obtained was tested, as well as the behaviour of carbons along several cycles of adsorption desorption.
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