Comparison of Aqueous Phase Indices for Powdered Activated Carbon to Pore Size Distribution Measured Via Gas Adsorption

Abstract

The adsorptive capacity of powdered activated carbon (PAC) is related to the size of the target adsorbate compared with the quantity of pores with sufficient pore diameter into which the adsorbate may diffuse (i.e., the effective internal surface area). the adsorptive capacity of PACs are commonly characterized using aqueous-phase indices such as iodine (I2), methylene blue (MB), p-nitrophenol (PNP), molasses, and tannin. PACs may also be characterized using gas adsorption with nitrogen to develop detailed pore size distribution information. This paper describes the characterization of the internal porous nature of 12 PACs used in water treatment using both aqueous- and gaseous-phase methods. the results showed that the internal surface areas of PACs tended to be ordered: wood>bituminous coal>lignite coal. the results showed that the bituminous and lignite carbons had a majority of their internal pores in the microporous range ( < 20Å ) whereas wood-Based carbons tended to have a much wider pore size distribution well into the mesoporous range. the results showed that the molasses and tannin numbers correlated well with the total pore volume of pores greater than about 11Å. the MB and I2 numbers correlated well with total surface area if the micropores below 11Å also were included.

Department(s)

Chemical and Biochemical Engineering

Second Department

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering

Third Department

Chemistry

Document Type

Article - Conference proceedings

Document Version

Citation

File Type

text

Language(s)

English

Rights

© 2024 American Institute of Chemical Engineers, All rights reserved.

Publication Date

01 Dec 2004

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