Extrusion of honeycomb monoliths employed with activated carbon-LDPE hybrid materials

A facile preparation method of activated carbon (AC) honeycomb monoliths is suggested in this work. A composite consisting of activated carbon, organic polymer binder (LDPE), and organic lubricant was effectively extruded above the melting temperature of the organic polymer in the shape of a honeycomb monoliths (dimensions: 256 cells in 4 cm x 4 cm). Three types of AC powders are investigated to elucidate the relationships between the processibility of the honeycomb monoliths and the size of their AC particles. The surface area of activated carbon filters increases as the size of the AC particle increases. This may be due to pore blocking by organic polymer binder on the surface of the AC particle. The mechanical properties of the honeycomb monolith are enhanced drastically when extrusion molding is used as compared to the use of a conventional press-molding process. (C) 2010 The Korean Society of Industrial and Engineering Chemistry. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.