Porous carbon materials will play a critical role for the success of a number of emerging low emission energy technologies. An experimental study was carried out to characterize the effect of chemical activation on the pore characteristics of two Australian coals. Activated carbons were prepared using KOH and NaOH as the activating agents. Physical and chemical properties of coals and activated carbons were characterized using N2 adsorption, Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM), X-ray Diffraction (XRD), Raman Spectroscopy and Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM). Original coal minerals and their association with carbon matter were quantified using SIROQUANT and QEMSCANTM. The effects of coal properties and activating agents on the pore characteristics of activated carbon are discussed. The study demonstrated that with the help of chemical activation both Australian coals can be successfully used to prepare advanced carbons with exceptionally high surface area (2884 m2/g) and micropore volume (1.42 cm3/g). The study further showed that NaOH had greater influence on the modification of porous nature of higher volatile coal while KOH had greater effect on lower volatile coal. Both coals provided higher carbon yield when activated with KOH compared to activation with NaOH. The effect of coal properties and the activating agents on pore structure is found to be consistent with past mechanisms. The study suggests that the pore structure of Australian coals can be conveniently tailored to develop advanced materials for gas and energy storage devices by optimizing coal properties and nature of chemical activating agent.
