Activated carbons from Uruguayan eucalyptus wood

Activated carbons were prepared from eucalyptus wood chars and the results of CO2, CO2-O-2 and steam activation were compared. The carbonization step gave rise to a narrow micropore structure and a highly developed macroporosity which increased slightly upon CO2 activation and significantly upon steam activation. This last process led also to a widening of micropore size distribution and developed the mesoporosity more than CO2 activation did. The presence of O-2 accompanying CO2 in the activating gas increased the micro- and macroporosity of the carbons. No net destruction of microporosity was observed even at high burnoff levels and with as much as 5 vol. % O-2 in the activating gas. Copyright (C) 1996 Elsevier Science Ltd.