Preparation of Activated Carbon from Oil Sands Coke by Chemical and Physical Activation Techniques

Abstract

Oil sands coke is a by-product resulting from the upgrading of heavy crude bitumen to light synthetic oil. This research investigates the preparation of activated carbon from oil sands cokes by using both chemical activation and physical activation techniques. Chemical activation was completed using KOH as activation agent and heating with a muffle furnace. The highest iodine number obtained was 1942 mg/g and 1292 mg/g for delayed and fluid coke respectively. The highest BET surface area was obtained as 1654 m2/g and 1130 m2/g for delayed and fluid coke respectively at an activation temperature of 800°C using a KOH to coke ratio of 2. Physical activation was performed using steam and microwave heating. The highest iodine number obtained was 103 mg/g for delayed coke and 226 mg/g for fluid coke.