Preparation, Evaluation and Structural Modeling of Carbon-Based Adsorbents Used on Natural Gas Vehicles

Activated carbon adsorbents are widely used in the chemical and environmental industries due to their large surface areas and strong ability to adsorb gases and liquids. In this study, activated carbons are prepared from low cost materials, and their application in natural gas storage is investigated. Micropore volume and bulk density of carbon adsorbents are found to be the most important factors for achieving a high volumetric methane storage capacity. Modeling of nitrogen and methane adsorption onto a porous carbon is also conducted to optimize its pore structure and maximize its methane storage capacity. A novel analytical 3-D model is developed to calculate the pore size distribution for porous materials on the basis of nitrogen adsorption at 77 K. This 3-D model is used to analyze the process of adsorbent preparation, and its other applications in chemical and environmental engineering are also explored.

Name thesis:degree_name

Ph.D.

Level thesis:degree_level

Dissertation

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Civl and Environmental Engineering

Grantor

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Year dc:date

2015

Author dc:creator

• Sun, Jian

Contributors dc:contributor

• Rood, Mark J.
• Massoud Rostam-Abadi

• Engineering, Environmental

Language dc:language

eng

Identifier

(MiAaPQ)AAI9945010

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:www.ideals.illinois.edu:2142/83480