No abstract

Carbon materials have unique structural and chemical properties attracting for applications in various fields. Coal is available in abundance and a low-cost energy source. Coal is a major source of carbon which can be used as a precursor to derive value-added carbon products and thereby, enhances its effective utilization in a sustainable manner. In this study, activated carbons were prepared from tertiary coal obtained from North-eastern region of India. The preparation process consisted of pre-treatment of coal by oxidation followed by mixed alkali impregnation and carbonization at 600 C. The synthesized samples were characterized using proximate and ultimate analysis, sulfur analysis, surface area and pore size analysis, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and powder X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis. The results reveal that the produced activated carbons have improved specific surface area and pore size after chemical activation, and they are amorphous, micro-mesoporous in nature. Thus, the low-grade Indian tertiary coals are a potential source to derive activated carbon based high value-added carbon products.