Effect of gas templating of resorcinol-formaldehyde xerogels on characteristics and performances of subsequent activated carbons

Abstract

Gas-templated resorcinol formaldehyde-activated carbon xerogels (GT-RF-ACXs) were prepared from resorcinol-formaldehyde xerogels that were templated by infusing different gases (e.g., nitrogen, oxygen, methane, ethylene, ethane, propylene, n-butane, air, propane, helium, argon, carbon dioxide and hydrogen) into the sol media upon its gelation, with subsequent carbonization and activation of the gas-templated xerogels. The crystallinity, adsorption isotherms; pore structure, chemical structure and particle size of GT-RF-ACXs were studied. Wide ranges of characteristics were obtained for GT-RF-ACXs templated with different gases. The effect of templating with different gases on the adsorption performances of GT-RF-ACXs were demonstrated in aqueous media for the removal of (Ni2+, Pb2+ or Cr3+) ions from water; and in gas media for the adsorption of CO2, CH4 and N2. It was found that the gas-templating has a strong effect on the adsorption performance of GT-RF-ACXs towards different species in aqueous or gas media. Therefore, it is evident that gas-infusion during the synthesis of gel precursors significantly affects the features and their separation abilities of their subsequent activated carbons. - 2019 Elsevier B.V.