The impact of effective pore percentage on CH4/N2 separation in coal-based activated carbon

Xu，Ran1; Xian，Xuefu1; Song，Zhenlong2; Gu，Min1

2023-09-01

10.1007/s10853-023-08869-7

Journal of Materials Science   Impact Factor & Quartile

0022-2461

1573-4803

The efficient separation of CH/N using activated carbon depends on the strict regulation of carbon pore structure. However, the relationship between pore structure and separation performance remains inadequately explored in the literature. This study employed a sample set comprising 38 coal-based granular activated carbons with diverse pore structural parameters to investigate the impact of pore size distribution on CH/N separation using advanced statistical methods. Through Pearson’s correlation analysis, this study reveals that the effective pores for CH/N separation in coal-based activated carbon are those with diameters less than 1 nm, with the optimal pore size range being 0.4–0.7 nm. A novel pore structural parameter, effective pore percentage, was proposed, which exhibits a stronger correlation to separation performance and predicts the separation performance of the activated carbon more accurately than commonly used parameters. Ridge regression analysis revealed that a high proportion of effective pores (< 1 nm) generally results in higher separation efficiency, while an excessively high proportion of larger pores (> 1 nm) can diminish the separation performance of CH/N. This study has important implications for investigating the separation mechanism of coal-based activated carbon for CH/N and for developing efficient coal-based activated carbon for purifying coalbed gas. Graphical abstract: [Figure not available: see fulltext.].

SCI

English

Corresponding

Chongqing Science and Technology Commission[cstc2018jcyj-yszxX0005];Natural Science Foundation Project of Chongqing, Chongqing Science and Technology Commission[cstc2018jcyj-yszxX0005];Chongqing Science and Technology Commission[cstc2020yszx-jcyjX0008];Natural Science Foundation Project of Chongqing, Chongqing Science and Technology Commission[cstc2020yszx-jcyjX0008];

Materials Science

Materials Science, Multidisciplinary

WOS:001061440700006

SPRINGER

MATERIALS SCIENCE

2-s2.0-85169805103

Scopus

1.State Key Laboratory of Coal Mine Disaster Dynamics and Control,School of Resources and Safety Engineering,Chongqing University,Chongqing,400044,China
2.Department of Earth and Space Science,Southern University of Science and Technology,Shenzhen,518055,China

Xu，Ran,Xian，Xuefu,Song，Zhenlong,et al. The impact of effective pore percentage on CH4/N2 separation in coal-based activated carbon[J]. Journal of Materials Science,2023,58(34):13635-13648.

Xu，Ran,Xian，Xuefu,Song，Zhenlong,&Gu，Min.(2023).The impact of effective pore percentage on CH4/N2 separation in coal-based activated carbon.Journal of Materials Science,58(34),13635-13648.

Xu，Ran,et al."The impact of effective pore percentage on CH4/N2 separation in coal-based activated carbon".Journal of Materials Science 58.34(2023):13635-13648.