INTRODUCTION
As stated before, activated carbon is a widely used adsorbent in many industries. For
each different application of activated carbon, different pore structures, types of
granules, and carbon surfaces are needed. In order to control these properties different
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carbon precursors, different activating methods, and varying conditions of activation are
used.
One method to identify a carbon for a certain application is to conduct a parametric
study varying process conditions, precursor materials, and activating agents. Normally
analysis of carbon is conducted by running adsorption isotherms, calculating the BET
surface area, and measuring pore volume among other procedures. [2] However, these
tests are time consuming, and a parametric study conducted with many parameters will
yield a wide array of different samples which need to be tested. In order to deal with
this problem, it becomes necessary to develop several different screening methods in
order to eliminate certain samples which do not display performance characteristics
needed for the given application of interest. In this study, screening methods are
developed in order to identify desirable properties for activated carbons being used as a
natural gas adsorbent.