Production of Activated Carbon Aiming at the Advanced Use of Larch (II): Characterization and Application of Larch Wood Activated Carbons

Activated carbon from larch wood (LW) was prepared in a batch-type fluidized reactor operated at 1, 123K, and its chemical and physical properties, including adsorption capacity, were measured to compare with those of commercial activated carbons obtained from coal and coconut shell. According to pore size distribution measurement, the LW activated carbon had a large proportion of pores with more diameter than 0.6 nm. Adsorption capacity tests with toluene, methylene blue, agricultural medicines and humic substance indicated that the LW activated carbon was equal or superior to the coal and the coconut carbons. Bulk density and hardness for the former carbon were, however, smaller than those for the latter two. For improving these properties, the larch wood was pulverized and then molded by compression prior to carbonization-activation. The pretreatment enabled the production of a general-purpose granular activated carbon.