Preparation of pitch-based activated carbons

Medium coal tar pitch was loaded onto porous corn stalks by solution soaking, and the resulting composite was oxidatively stabilized at 400℃ for 2h in air or heat-treated under nitrogen in the same conditions to make an infusible pitch. The infusible pitch was shattered, mixed with KOH and activated at 800℃ for 0.5 to 2h to prepare activated carbons, which were characterized by iodine adsorption. It was found that the time for the oxidative stabilization was significantly shortened by loading pitch onto the corn stalks. When the oxidative stabilization was performed at 400℃ for 2h in air, the particle size was above 100 mesh, the ratio of alkali to the infusible pitch was 5∶1. After activation at 800℃ for 1h, the activated carbon obtained had the highest iodine adsorption value.