Activated carbon was prepared from pre-carbonized petroleum coke. Textural properties were determined from studies of the adsorption of nitrogen at 77 K and the surface chemistry was obtained using the Fourier-transform infrared spectrometer technique and the Boehm titration process. The adsorption of three aromatic compounds, namely phenol (P), p-nitrophenol (PNP) and benzoic acid (BA) onto APC in aqueous solution was studied in a batch system with respect to contact time, pH, initial concentration of solutes and temperature. Active carbon APC obtained was found to possess a high surface area and a predominantly microporous structure; it also had an acidic surface character. The experimental data fitted the pseudo-second-order kinetic model well; also, the intraparticle diffusion was the only controlling process in determining the adsorption of the three pollutants investigated. The adsorption data fit well with the Langmuir and Freundlich models. The uptake of the three pollutants was found to be strongly dependent on the pH value and the temperature of the solution. Most of the experiments were conducted at pH 7; the pH(PZC) of the active carbon under study was 5.0; the surface of the active carbon was negatively charged. The thermodynamic parameters evaluated for APC revealed that the adsorption of P was spontaneous and exothermic in nature, while PNP and BA showed no-spontaneity of the adsorption process and that process was endothermic in nature.

In this study, the adsorption of toxic pollutants onto cetyltrimethylammonium kaolin (CTAB-Kaolin) is investigated. The organo-kaolin is synthesized by exchanging cetyltrimethylammonium cations (CTAB) with inorganic ions on the surface of kaolin. The chemical analysis, the structural and textural properties of kaolin and CTAB-kaolin were investigated using elemental analysis, FTIR, SEM and adsorption of nitrogen at -196℃. The kinetic adsorption and adsorption capacity of the organo-kaolin towards o-xylene, phenol and Cu(II) ion from aqueous solution was investigated. The kinetic adsorption data of o-xylene, phenol and Cu(II) are in agreement with a second order model. The equilibrium adsorption data were found to fit Langmuir equation. The uptake of o-xylene and phenol from their aqueous solution by kaolin, CTAB-kaolin and activated carbon proceed via physisorption. The removal of Cu(II) ion from water depends on the surface properties of the adsorbent. Onto kaolin, the Cu(II) ions are adsorbed through cation exchange with Na+. For CTAB-kaolin, Cu(II) ions are mainly adsorbed via electrostatic attraction with the counter ions in the electric double layer (Br-), via ion pairing, Cu(II) ions removal by the activated carbon is probably related to the carbon-oxygen groups particularly those of acid type. The adsorption capacities of CTAB-kaolin for the investigated adsorbates are considerably higher compared with those of unmodified kaolin. However, the adsorption capacities of the activated carbons are by far higher than those determined for CTAB-kaolin.

Potassium hydroxide activated carbons were prepared from Egyptian petroleum cokes with different KOH/coke ratios and at different activation temperatures and times. The textural properties were determined by adsorption of nitrogen at -196℃. The adsorption of iodine and methylene blue was also investigated at 30℃. The surface area and the non-micropore volume increased whereas the micropore volume decreased with the increase of the ratio KOH/coke. Also the surface area and porosity increased with the rise of activation temperature from 500 to 800℃. Textural parameter considerably increased with the increase of activation time from 1 to 3 h. Further increasing of activation time from 3 to 4 h was associated with a less pronounced increase in textural parameters. The adsorption of iodine shows the same trend of surface area and porosity change exhibited by nitrogen adsorption, with KOH/coke ratio and temperature of activation. Adsorption of methylene blue follows pseudo-first-order kinetics and its equilibrium adsorption follows Langmuir and D-R models.

Four stream- activated carbons were prepared by carbonizing apricot stones at 600℃ followed by gasification with steam at 950℃ to burn-off's=17, 32, 49 and 65%. The textural parameters of these activated carbons were determined from nitrogen adsorption results at 77 K. The total pore volume and the mean pore radius increased with the increase of % burn-off whereas the surface area increased with the increase of burn- off from 17 to 32 and further to 49%. Further increase of burn-off to 65% was associated with a considerable decrease in surface area as a result of pronounced pore widening due to pore erosion. The surface pH values of the carbons investigated range between 7.1 and 8.2. The adsorption of oxamyl onto the activated carbon followed pseudo-second order kinetics and the equilibrium adsorption isotherms fitted Langmuir adsorption model. The adsorption of oxamyl proved to be of the physical type and took place in non-micropores. The amount of oxamyl adsorbed expressed as qm depends to a large extent to the surface area located in non-micropores S∝ n, where a straight line relationship passing through the origin was obtained.

Carbonization products C1, C2, C3, C4 and C5 were prepared by the carbonization of date pit in limited air, at 500, 600, 700, 800 and 1000℃, respectively. C1-V-600, C3-V-600, C1-V-1000 and C3-V-1000 were prepared by thermal treatment of C1 and C3 under vacuum at 600 and 1000℃. The textural properties were determined from nitrogen adsorption at 77 K and from carbon dioxide adsorption at 298 K. The surface pH, the FTIR spectra and the acid and base neutralization capacities of some carbons were investigated. The amounts of surface oxygen were determined by out-gassing the carbon-oxygen groups on the surface as CO2 and CO. The adsorption of water vapor at 308 K on C1, C2, C3 and C4 was measured and the decomposition of H2O2 at 308 K was also investigated on C1, C2, C3, C4 and C5. The surface area and the total pore volume decreased with the rise of the carbonization temperature from 500 to 1000℃. The adsorption of water vapor is independent on the textural properties, while it is related to the amount of acidic carbon-oxygen groups on the surface. The catalytic activity of H2O2 decomposition does not depend on the textural properties, but directly related to the amount of basic carbon-oxygen complexes out-gassed as CO, at high temperatures.