Porous Structure and Adsorption Properties of Synthetic Active Carbons

Abstract

The porous structures of synthetic active carbons have been examined in detail on the basis of nitrogen adsorption isotherms at 77 K using the αS method, the Dubinin–Stoeckli approach and the regularization technique. Analysis of the porosity of synthetic active carbons shows that carbons obtained under identical conditions have dissimilar adsorption properties depending on the size of the granule. The application of the Dubinin–Stoeckli equation for the characterization of strongly heterogeneous carbons overestimates the maximum amount adsorbed in the micropores. In contrast to the Dubinin–Stoeckli equation, the regularization method gives a two-peak micropore size distribution and enables adsorbents with a bimodal porous structure to be estimated.