Abstract
This work reports on the influence of treatment conditions on the waste tire-derived activated carbon for adsorptive desulfurization. The rubber tires were carbonized and activated. The obtained activated carbon (AC) was treated with HNO3 or NaOH at a temperature range of 30-90 degrees C. The morphology and surface properties of AC were characterized by surface pH, Boehm's titration, N-2 adsorption-desorption isotherms, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, and scanning electron microscope. The AC sample, treated with HNO3 at 90 degrees C, possess the highest surface oxygen containing functional groups (2.39 mmol/g), surface area (473.35 m(2)/g) and pore volume (0.70 cm(3)/g) and the more adsorption capacity to the refractory sulfur compounds. The Boehm's titration experiments indicated that the amount of surface oxygen containing functional groups on the surface of the acid-treated AC increases with treatment temperatures. Acid-treated AC at 90 degrees C proves to be optimum for adsorptive desulfurization with the order of dibenzothiophene > benzothiophene > thiophene. (C) 2015 Taiwan Institute of Chemical Engineers. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.