High saturation capacity of activated carbons prepared from mesophase pitch in the removal of volatile organic compounds

A series of binderless activated carbon monoliths (ACMs) have been prepared from petroleum pitch and using KOH as activating agent. Characterization shows that these activated carbons combine a large "apparent" surface area (up to S-BET similar to 3000 m(2)/g) together with a well-developed narrow micropore size distribution. Dynamic column adsorption experiments using different volatile organic compounds (VOCs), ethanol and benzene, show that these activated carbons prepared from mesophase-based materials exhibit a superior saturation capacity compared to conventional carbon materials. The total amount adsorbed reaches values as high as 18 g/100 g AC and 40 g/100 g AC, for ethanol and benzene, respectively. These are the best results reported in the literature. The total amount adsorbed for both molecules correlates with the total volume of narrow micropores, thus confirming the pore size specificity required for the adsorption of VOC molecules. Regeneration studies show that ethanol can be easily desorbed at room temperature by flowing clean air through the adsorbent whereas benzene requires a further heating for complete desorption/regeneration. (c) 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.