Modified bamboo-based activated carbon as the catalyst carrier for the gas phase synthesis of vinyl acetate from acetylene and acetic acid

As a significant component of catalyst system, catalyst carrier can impact on coating amount of active component, and in turn catalytic activity. In this work, study of bamboo-based activated carbon as the catalyst carrier for gas phase synthesis of vinyl acetate from acetylene and acetic acid was carried out. Characterization and experimental results showed that bamboo-based activated carbon possessed the conditions and potential of being a catalyst carrier and characterized a greater advantage in structure and properties after modification. After ultrasonic treatment, it was found that the mesoporous distribution of activated carbon increased, which promoted the adsorption to zinc acetate and resulted in 23% increase in productivity of catalyst. Simultaneously, it had a different effect on surface area and pore-size distribution of activated carbon by thermal treatment at high temperatures in N2 and CO2 atmosphere. The productivity of catalyst with bamboo-based activated carbon as catalyst carrier after thermal treatment in N2 and CO2 can be increased by 14 and 20%, respectively. Furthermore, based on the influence of pore size on adsorption and reaction of active components, the necessity of expanding pores of carbon was explained in this paper, which pointed out the direction of activated carbon modification.

Crucial Factors for the Application of Functional Nanoporous Carbon-Based Materials in Energy and Environmental Applications

This special issue of C—Journal of Carbon Research is dedicated to “Functional Nanoporous Carbon-Based Materials”. It contains contributions reporting on the synthesis of nanoporous carbons for the adsorption of proteins, their applications in electrochemical energy storage/conversion, and on the characterization/modification of their surface chemistry. Nanoporous carbon-based materials are widely researched, but at the same time, the field is still full of unutilized potential. The atomic construction of the carbon framework, pore sizes, pore geometries, presence of heteroatoms, particle size and shape, and many other “internal screws” are available; in the end, the high potential of carbon-based materials will only be fully explored if the interplay of these crucial factors is precisely controlled. This article is a summary of what we consider important for future targeted improvement of porous carbon nanomaterials for energy and environmental applications.