Effect of Wood Species on the Pore Volume and Surface Area of Activated Carbon Derived from the Self Activation Process

Abstract

In this study, the effect of wood species on pore structure of activated carbon (AC) generated from a self-activation process at different dwelling times was investigated. Ten hardwood species were selected (afromosia, alder, black cherry, makore, pomelle sapele, soft maple, teak, walnut, white oak and yellow poplar) were activated at 1050OC for three dwelling times (10 h, 5 h, and 2.5 h). X-ray diffraction, Raman spectroscopy, and elemental analysis were performed on AC to analyze the carbon structure. The Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) surface area, Barrett-Joyner-Halenda (BJH) pore volume, and BJH pore width of AC samples were determined. It was shown from the study that the mesopore width of AC decreased as micropores were transitioned to mesopores, leading to an increase in the pore volume and surface area. The density and porosity of the samples that underwent 2.5-h dwelling time were determined. The porosity of the wood and their resultant AC were compared. The porosity between the wood and its AC possessed a relationship when true bulk densities of the wood and carbon were compared. The porosity of wood had an impact on the bulk density of the carbon but not on the true density. No relationship was observed between the porosity and surface area of the carbon samples.