Thermal Treatment of Active Carbons: a Comparison Between Microwave and Electrical Hating

Two commercial activated carbons were subjected to thermal treatment in a N2 atmosphere using a microwave multimode resonant cavity and a conventional electric tube furnace as heat sources. The temperature of the carbon bed during the microwave treatment was monitored using an infrared pyrometer and an Inconel sheltered type-K thermocouple. A comparison between both methods of measuring temperature was made. When similar treatment temperatures are used, both techniques produce similar changes in the textural and chemical properties of the activated carbons. However, microwave treatment is much less time-consuming than conventional heating. Microwave treatment in an inert environment seems to be an efficient and attractive way of removing oxygenated functionalities from carbon surfaces and of increasing the hydrophobicity and basicity of carbons.