(29c) Improved Performance of Beaded Activated Carbon for Volatile Organic Components Capture Via Chemical Surface Modification

Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) associated with painting processes are typically captured on activated carbon so that clean air is released to atmosphere. The VOCs consist of aromatic and aliphatic hydrocarbons, ketones, esters and alcohols. In the present study, adsorption of organic vapours onto microporous beaded activated carbon (BAC) and regeneration of the saturated BAC are carried out. Further, the surface chemistry of the BAC was modified by various chemical treatment methods and the effects of the resultant changes in porosity and surface chemistry on adsorption characteristics of the BAC samples were studied. Characterizations conducted with elemental analysis, physical adsorption and scanning electron microscope demonstrate that both the porosity and surface chemistry of the carbon beads were tuned by the chemical treatment methods without any alteration of the integrity of the desirable overall spherical morphology. Adsorption evaluation with thermogravimetric analysis under various conditions indicate that chemically treated BACs have relatively high VOC adsorption capacity compared to untreated BAC with fast adsorption/desorption kinetics, superior durability, and good selectivity. Both the unique spherical form (mean diameter 0.72 mm) and the superior adsorption performance render the modified BAC a promising candidate for VOC capture especially in automotive industries.