Thesis Format
This thesis is a four chapter series detailing the production and characterization of
activated carbon. The first chapter gives an introduction to the history, production
processes, and applications of activated carbon. The second chapter introduces a
production process used to generate activated carbons with proven characteristics and
details a mass balance on this process. The third chapter explores variations on the
process used in the second chapter and the use of screening methods to analyze
different activated carbons produced using varying conditions and materials. The fourth
chapter summarizes the conclusions made in the first three chapters and gives
suggestions for future research. The first and fourth chapters are overview sections
while the second and third chapters each have their own abstract, introduction,
methods and materials, and results and discussion sections as well as figures and tables.