Methane dry reforming over Ni supported on pine sawdust activated carbon: Effects of support surface properties and metal loading

The influence of metal loading and support surface functional groups (SFG) on methane dry reforming (MDR) over Ni catalysts supported on pine-sawdust derived activated carbon were studied. Using pine sawdust as the catalyst support precursor, the smallest variety and lowest concentration of SFG led to best Ni dispersion and highest catalytic activity, which increased with Ni loading up to 3 Ni atoms nm-2. At higher Ni loading, the formation of large metal aggregates was observed, consistent with a lower "apparen" surface area and a decrease in catalytic activity. The H2/CO ratio rose with increasing reaction temperature, indicating that increasingly important side reactions were taking place in addition to MDR.

Design of Activated Carbon/Activated Carbon Asymmetric Capacitors

Supercapacitors are energy storage devices that offer a high power density and a low energy density in comparison with batteries. Their limited energy density can be overcome by using asymmetric configuration in mass electrodes, where each electrode works within their maximum available potential window, rendering the maximum voltage output of the system. Such asymmetric capacitors are optimized using the capacitance and the potential stability limits of the electrodes, with the reliability of the design largely depending on the accuracy and the approach taken for the electrochemical characterization. Therefore, the performance could be lower than expected and even the system could break down, if a well thought out procedure is not followed. In this work, a procedure for the development of asymmetric supercapacitors based on activated carbons is detailed. Three activated carbon materials with different textural properties and surface chemistry have been systematically characterized in neutral aqueous electrolyte. The asymmetric configuration of the masses of both electrodes in the supercapacitor has allowed to cover a higher potential window, resulting in an increase of the energy density of the three devices studied when compared with the symmetric systems, and an improved cycle life.

Adsorption of p-nitrophenol in untreated and treated activated carbon

The adsorption of p-nitrophenol in one untreated activated carbon (F100) and three treated activated carbons (H-2, H2SO4 and Urea treated F100) was carried out at undissociated and dissociated conditions. To characterize the carbon, N-2 and CO2 adsorption were used. X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS) was used to analyze the surface of the activated carbon. The experimental isotherms are fitted via the Langmuir homogenous model and Langmuir binary model. Variation of the model parameters with the solution pH is studied. Both Q(max) and the adsorption affinity coefficient (K-1) were dependent on the PZC of the carbons and solution pH. The Effect of pH must be considered due to its combined effects on the carbon surface and on the solute molecules. Adsorption of p-nitrophenol at higher pH was found to be dependent on the concentration of the anionic form of the solute.

Effect of pore packing defects in 2-D ordered mesoporous carbons on ionic transport

Ordered mesoporous materials show great importance in energy, environmental, and chemical engineering. The diffusion of guest species in mesoporous networks plays an important role in these applications, especially for energy storage, such as supercapacitors based on ordered mesoporous carbons ( OMCs). The ion diffusion behavior in two different 2-D hexagonal OMCs was investigated by using cyclic voltametry and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. In addition, transmission electron microscopy, small-angle X-ray diffraction, and nitrogen cryosorption methods were used to study the pore structure variations of these two OMCs. It was found that, for the OMC with defective pore channels ( termed as pore packing defects), the gravimetric capacitance was greatly decayed when the voltage scan rate was increased. The experimental results suggest that, for the ion diffusion in 2-D hexagonal OMCs with similar mesopore size distribution, the pore packing defect is a dominant dynamic factor.

Simulation of binary mixture adsorption of methane and CO2 at supercritical conditions in carbons

Knowledge of the adsorption behavior of coal-bed gases, mainly under supercritical high-pressure conditions, is important for optimum design of production processes to recover coal-bed methane and to sequester CO2 in coal-beds. Here, we compare the two most rigorous adsorption methods based on the statistical mechanics approach, which are Density Functional Theory (DFT) and Grand Canonical Monte Carlo (GCMC) simulation, for single and binary mixtures of methane and carbon dioxide in slit-shaped pores ranging from around 0.75 to 7.5 nm in width, for pressure up to 300 bar, and temperature range of 308-348 K, as a preliminary study for the CO2 sequestration problem. For single component adsorption, the isotherms generated by DFT, especially for CO2, do not match well with GCMC calculation, and simulation is subsequently pursued here to investigate the binary mixture adsorption. For binary adsorption, upon increase of pressure, the selectivity of carbon dioxide relative to methane in a binary mixture initially increases to a maximum value, and subsequently drops before attaining a constant value at pressures higher than 300 bar. While the selectivity increases with temperature in the initial pressure-sensitive region, the constant high-pressure value is also temperature independent. Optimum selectivity at any temperature is attained at a pressure of 90-100 bar at low bulk mole fraction of CO2, decreasing to approximately 35 bar at high bulk mole fractions. (c) 2005 American Institute of Chemical Engineers.

Chemical reactions of double bonds in activated carbon:microwave and bromination methods

The reaction of localised C=C bonds on the surface of activated carbons has been shown to be an effective method of chemical modification especially using microwave-assisted reactions.

Promising biomass-derived activated carbon and gold nanoparticle nanocomposites as a novel electrode material for electrochemical detection of rutin

In this paper, six types of typical bio-wastes are used to prepare activated carbons (ACs) by high-temperature carbonization and activation with KOH. A novel electrochemical sensor for rutin was developed based on a peanut shell-derived activated carbon and gold nanoparticle composite modified glassy carbon electrode (P-AC/AuNPs/GCE). The as-synthesized ACs and composites were characterized by a variety of physicochemical techniques. The proposed sensor exhibits ideal electrochemical behavior for rutin with a wide linear range, low detection limit, and good selectivity. The desirable electrochemical performance enables the biomass-derived ACs and their composites to act as new sources of carbonaceous materials for electrochemical sensors.

Influence of binder solvent on carbon-layer structure in electrical-double-layer capacitors

Porous activated-carbons with a large surface-area have been the most common materials for electrical-double-layer capacitors (EDLCs). These carbons having a wide pore distribution ranges from micropores to macropores in conjunction with a random pore connection that facilitates the high specific-capacitance values. Pore distribution plays a central role in controlling the capacitance value of EDLCs, since electrolyte distribution inside the active material mainly depends on the pore distribution. This has a direct influence on the distribution of resistance and capacitance values within the electrode. As a result, preparation of electrodes remains a vital issue in realising high-performance EDLCs. Generally, carbon materials along with some binders are dispersed into a solvent and coated onto the current collectors. This study examines the role of binder solvents used for the carbon-ink preparation on the microstructure of the electrodes and the consequent performance of the EDLCs. It is observed that the physical properties of the binder solvent namely its dielectric constant, viscosity and boiling point have important role in determining the pore-size distribution as well as the microstructure of electrodes which influence their specific capacitance values.

A Study of the Heterogenization of Heteropoly Acid (II)

The surface chemical species of surface-modified activated carbons and adsorption of 12-silicotungstic acid (SiW12) on them were studied It was found that these carbons have different adsorption isotherms and adsorptive force. The carbonyl groups on the s

Remediation of phenol-contaminated water by adsorption using poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA)

Recently polymeric adsorbents have been emerging as highly effective alternatives to activated carbons for pollutant removal from industrial effluents. Poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA), polymerized using the atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) technique has been investigated for its feasibility to remove phenol from aqueous solution. Adsorption equilibrium and kinetic investigations were undertaken to evaluate the effect of contact time, initial concentration (10-90 mg/L), and temperature (25-55 degrees C). Phenol uptake was found to increase with increase in initial concentration and agitation time. The adsorption kinetics were found to follow the pseudo-second-order kinetic model. The intra-particle diffusion analysis indicated that film diffusion may be the rate controlling step in the removal process. Experimental equilibrium data were fitted to five different isotherm models namely Langmuir, Freundlich, Dubinin-Radushkevich, Temkin and Redlich-Peterson by non-linear least square regression and their goodness-of-fit evaluated in terms of mean relative error (MRE) and standard error of estimate (SEE). The adsorption equilibrium data were best represented by Freundlich and Redlich-Peterson isotherms. Thermodynamic parameters such as Delta G degrees and Delta H degrees indicated that the sorption process is exothermic and spontaneous in nature and that higher ambient temperature results in more favourable adsorption. (C) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Energy storage in electrochemical capacitors: designing functional materials to improve device performance

Electrochemical capacitors, also known as supercapacitors, are becoming increasingly important components in energy storage, although their widespread use has not been attained due to a high cost/ performance ratio. Fundamental research is contributing to lowered costs through the engineering of new materials. Currently the most viable materials used in electrochemical capacitors are biomassderived and polymer-derived activated carbons, although other carbon materials are useful research tools. Metal oxides could result in a step change for electrochemical capacitor technology and is an exciting area of research. The selection of an appropriate electrolyte and electrode structure is fundamental in determining device performance. Although there are still many uncertainties in understanding the underlying mechanisms involved in electrochemical capacitors, genuine progress continues to be made. It is argued that a large, collaborative international research programme is necessary to fully develop the potential of electrochemical capacitors.