Activated carbon from microcrystalline cellulose
AssigneePhilip Morris USA Inc.
InventorsGeorgios D. Karles, Shuzhong Zhuang
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Abstract
A method of forming activated carbon from microcrystalline cellulose comprises converting the microcrystalline cellulose powder into microcrystalline cellulose beads using extrusion and spheronization, carbonizing microcrystalline cellulose to form carbonized microcrystalline cellulose and activating the carbonized microcrystalline cellulose to form activated carbon. The final size of the activated carbon beads, which preferably are of practically spherical shape, can be controlled through the process of making microcrystalline cellulose beads.
Claims16
A method of forming activated carbon from microcrystalline cellulose beads comprising:
- mixing microcrystalline cellulose powder, water and one or more of H2SO4, H3PO4 or ZnCl2, wherein a weight ratio of microcrystalline cellulose powder to water is in a range of about 30-70 weight % microcrystalline cellulose powder to about 30-70 weight % water;
- forming cylindrical extrudates from the microcrystalline cellulose powder and water using an extruder;
- forming spherical beads from the cylindrical extrudates using a spheronizer;
- drying the beads;
- carbonizing the microcrystalline cellulose beads to form carbonized microcrystalline cellulose;
- and
- activating the carbonized microcrystalline cellulose to form activated carbon having pores therein with a majority of the pores less than 30 Å.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.