Texture and adsorptive properties of microporous amorphous carbon materials prepared by the chemical activation of carbonized high-ash biomass

Samples of microporous amorphous carbon materials with calculated BET specific surface areas of up to 3500 m2/g, pore volumes of up to 3.0 cm3/g, and micropore volumes of up to 1.9 cm3/g were prepared using the chemical activation of rice hulls carbonized in a fluidized-bed reactor with a copper-chromium catalyst for deep oxidation. The effects of various activation parameters (temperature, activating agents, etc.) were studied, and optimum parameters were chosen. The resulting materials exhibited sorption capacities of up to 6.3 and 41 wt % for hydrogen at liquid nitrogen temperature and 50 atm and for methane at 0°C and 60 atm, respectively. Because of this, they are promising for use in the purification, storage, and transportation of fuel gases. Moreover, some aspects of the mechanism of the interaction of an activating agent with a carbon-containing precursor are proposed.