Characteristics of activated carbon prepared from waste PET by carbon dioxide activation

Poly(ethylene)terephthalate (PET) waste was subjected to carbonization in a nitrogen stream at 1098 K. The coke was then activated in a carbon dioxide stream under various conditions: temperatures of 1173, 1198 and 1213 K as well as process times of 4, 5,6 and 8 h. The activated carbons were characterized using various methods: the structure from Raman and XRD measurements, the porosity from low temperature nitrogen adsorption, the surface properties from cyclic voltammetry and the hydrogen storage capacity from the low temperature adsorption isotherm of H-2. The results demonstrated the importance of the temperature and the duration of the process. Higher temperatures result in the etching of graphitic domains of better crystallinity. A relatively small increase in activation time at the highest temperature used yielded a significant increase in the degree of burn-off and porous structure development. The microporosity of these carbons is similar to that of commercial activated carbons. They also have a similar capacity to adsorb water pollutants (e.g. 4-chlorophenol). The PET carbon sample with maximum burn-off exhibited higher values of the microporous structure parameters and the electric double layer capacity in electrolyte solution than the other three samples. The same sample exhibits a sufficient hydrogen storage capacity, which after optimization of the activation conditions should yield an effective storage material. This confirms the possibility of producing activated carbon from waste PET with satisfactory properties by the simple processes of carbonization and activation. The activated carbons obtained have potential use as water pollutant adsorbents, low-cost materials for hydrogen storage and electrode materials in supercapacitors or fuel cells. (C) 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.