Adsorption and DSC study of mineral-carbon sorbents obtained from coal tar pitch-polymer compositions

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to determine the possibility of producing hydrophobic mesoporous mineral-carbon sorbents from aluminum hydroxide and compositions of coal tar pitch-polymers on carbonization at 600 °C in a nitrogen atmosphere. Blends of the products of co-precipitation of aluminum hydroxide in the carbonaceous substances medium were subjected to carbonization process. The extent of porous structure development was evaluated using low temperature nitrogen adsorption, adsorption of benzene vapors, and adsorption of iodine from aqueous solution. The highest value of BET surface area of about 370 m2/g was achieved for the carbonization product obtained from co-precipitated raw components with 10 wt% compositions coal tar pitch-polymer. These materials demonstrated high capacity to reduce organic pollutions from sewage. Pitch-polymer composition containing poly(ethylene terephthalate) or phenol-formaldehyde resin was studied by the means of DSC method in order to determine the high-temperature transformations taking place under the conditions of carbonization. DSC method enables to determine i.a. the decomposition temperatures of carbonizates produced from pitch-polymer compositions and the evaluation of their sorption abilities. The additive of poly(ethylene terephthalate) and phenol-formaldehyde resin caused the increase of thermal resistance of the pitch expressed by higher decomposition temperatures. © The Author(s) 2011.