Method of heat treating carbonaceous material to enhance its adsorption of taste-and-odor-causing and other organic compounds from water

An activated carbon prepared by a method comprising:

• heating a carbonaceous material to a temperature in the range between about 300 to 1400° C. for a period of time in the range of about 0.1 to 500 minutes, thereby forming said activated carbon then washing said activated carbon with an acid that has a molarity greater than about 10−4 M, then
• heating acid washed activated carbon to a temperature in the range between above about 600 to about 1400° C. for a period of time between about 0.1 to 500 minutes, in the presence of at least one gas selected from the group consisting of:
• steam, methane, natural gas, hydrogen, nitrogen, ammonia, benzene, propane, and mixtures thereof, wherein said activated carbon comprises:
• a pore volume per gram of said activated carbon more than about 0.25 mL in the pore width range between about 4 to 63 angstroms;
• and a pore volume per gram of said activated carbon more than about 0.15 mL in the pore width range between about 63 to 500 angstroms;
• as measured per the Argon Adsorption Density Functional Theory protocol, provided that said activated carbon has a pH equal to or greater than 9.0, when immersed as a slurry in nitrogen-purged deionized distilled water, while the slurry contains about 10% by weight of activated carbon, as measured per the Slurry pH protocol;
• wherein pores having a diameter exceeding 200 angstroms contain about 33% to about 50% of the pore volume.

An activated carbon, comprising:

• a pore volume per gram of said activated carbon more than about 0.32 mL in the pore width range between about 4 to 63 angstroms;
• and
• a pore volume per gram of said activated carbon more than about 0.21 mL in the pore width range between about 63 to 500 angstroms;
• provided that the pore volume per gram of said activated carbon in the pore width range of about 20 to 63 angstroms is at least about 25% of the total pore volume per gram of said activated carbon in said pore width range of 4 to 63 angstroms, as measured per the Argon Adsorption Density Functional Theory protocol and provided that said activated carbon exhibits a pH equal to or greater than 9.9, when immersed as a slurry in nitrogen-purged deionized distilled water, while the slurry contains about 10% by weight of activated carbon, as measured per the Slurry pH protocol,
• whereby said activated carbon has not been mixed with sodium hydroxide or other alkaline material;
• wherein pores having a diameter exceeding 200 angstroms contain about 33% to about 50% of the pore volume.

An activated carbon, comprising:

• a pore volume per gram of said activated carbon more than about 0.32 mL in the pore width range between about 4 to 63 angstroms;
• and
• a pore volume per gram of said activated carbon more than about 0.21 mL in the pore width range between about 63 to 500 angstroms;
• provided that the pore volume per gram of said activated carbon in the pore width range of about 20 to 63 angstroms is at least about 25% of the total pore volume per gram of said activated carbon in said pore width range of 4 to 63 angstroms, as measured per the Argon Adsorption Density Functional Theory protocol and provided that said activated carbon exhibits a pH equal to or greater than 9.0, when immersed as a slurry in nitrogen-purged deionized distilled water, while the slurry contains about 10% by weight of activated carbon, as measured per the Slurry pH protocol,
• whereby said activated carbon has not been mixed with sodium hydroxide or other alkaline material;
• wherein pores having a diameter exceeding 200 angstroms contain about 33 % to about 50 % of the pore volume.

An activated carbon composed of a carbonaceous material comprising:

• a pore volume per gram of said activated carbon more than about 0.32 mL in the pore width range between about 4 to 63 angstroms;
• and
• a pore volume per gram of said activated carbon more than about 0.21 mL in the pore width range between about 63 to 500 angstroms;
• provided that the pore volume per gram of said activated carbon in the pore width range of about 20 to 63 angstroms is at least about 25% of the total pore volume per gram of said activated carbon in said pore width range of 4 to 63 angstroms, as measured per the Argon Adsorption Density Functional Theory protocol and provided that said activated carbon exhibits a pH equal to or greater than 9.9, when immersed as a slurry in nitrogen-purged deionized distilled water, while the slurry contains about 10% by weight of activated carbon, as measured per the Slurry pH protocol;
• wherein pores having a diameter exceeding 200 angstroms contain about 33% to about 50% of the pore volume.