Methods for Controlling the Activation of Carbon Sorbents

The share of carbon adsorbents used in cleaning processes is an indicator of the level of environmentally friendly environment in the world. This article's goal is to analyse available technologies that allow maximizing the adsorption of gases and vapors on micro-pores, and modeling the activation process with the provision of micro-porous structure of sorbents. The conditions of carbonation and activation that have a decisive influence on the adsorption capacity of coal were analyzed. The activation is carried out by heating with water vapor at a temperature of 850-1050°C under strictly controlled conditions that exclude scorching, which ensures the mechanical strength of coal pellets. Using the method of multi-factor experiment allowed to reduce the number of experiments, the experiment was carried out according to a fractional factor plan of the second order, the coefficients of polynomial models were calculated, the significance of the coefficients was checked by the Student's criterion, the adequacy of the models - by the Fisher criterion. The proposed model allows us to simulate the process and obtain highly porous carbon sorbents that are used for gas separation, for example, in air conditioning and water purification. The control of the technological process of drying in rotating furnaces and the intensification of processing technology based on the results of mathematical modeling and subsequent regulation of the steam supply speed lead to the production of high-quality activated carbon.