Producing Granulated Carbon Adsorbent from Isotropic Petroleum Pitch

Abstract— A method is proposed for producing granulated carbon adsorbent from petroleum coke (activated by potassium hydroxide) and isotropic petroleum pitch. Granules with different proportions of filler and binder are prepared. According to the Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) method, the specific surface is greatest for the sample with 90% activated coke and 10% binder (by mass): 1525 m²/g. With increase in binder content from 10% to 40%, the specific surface declines by a factor of two or three. It is established that isotropic petroleum pitch obtained as a byproduct in the production of mesophase petroleum pitch may be used as the binder. In terms of the BET specific surface and strength of the granules, the optimal binder content is 20–30%.