Abstract
A two-step pyrolysis and activation process was used to study the production of activated carbon from oil sands coke. Steam was employed as the activating agent at atmospheric pressure and 850°C. The activation of raw coke was compared with the activation of coke treated with a potassium hydroxide catalyst. A high BET surface area of 318 m
2g
−1 was obtained for untreated coke activated for 6 h. The addition of a catalyst increased activation rates but did not result in a higher surface area for the potassium-treated activated coke. Surface area generally increased with activation time but was sensitive to the percentage burnoff. The adsorptive capacities of the activated carbons were significantly higher than that of the raw coke. The untreated activated coke had a higher adsorptive capacity for methylene blue than activated potassium coke. The reverse was true for iodine adsorption.