A method of making heteroatom-doped activated carbon is described in this application. Specifically, it describes a process that utilizes liquid furfuryl-functional-group compounds as starting materials, which are then used to dissolve the heteroatom containing source compounds, before being polymerized into solids using catalysts. The polymerized solids are then carbonized and activated to make the heteroatom-doped activated carbon. Electric double-layer capacitors (EDLC) were fabricated with activated carbons doped with boron and nitrogen, and tested for performance. Also, the boron and nitrogen content in the activated carbons was confirmed by chemical analysis.

A process gas (such as a hydrocarbon gas) is flowed through a thermal cracking apparatus to crack the process gas into constituent components (such as hydrogen gas and solid carbon nano-particles, e.g., carbon nano-onions, necked carbon nano-onions, carbon nanospheres, graphene, graphite, highly ordered pyrolytic graphite, single walled nanotubes, and/or multi-walled nanotubes). The thermal cracking apparatus has an elongated heating element disposed within an inner volume along a longitudinal axis thereof. The elongated heating element heats the process gas as it flows within a longitudinal elongated reaction zone to thermally crack molecules of the process gas into the constituent components of the molecules.

A process for preparing activated carbon includes combining crushed petroleum coke (petcoke) with non-aqueous potassium hydroxide. The petcoke and the potassium hydroxide are then heated to a sub-activation temperature to yield a pre-activated blend. Under substantially inert conditions, the preactivated blend is then heated to at least the activation temperature of the petcoke to yield a first-stage activated blend. The first-stage activated blend includes activated carbon of a first microporosity percentage. The first-stage activated blend is then cooled to below the activation temperature of the petcoke. Under substantially inert conditions, the first-stage activated blend is then re-heated to at least the activation temperature of the petcoke to yield a second-stage activated blend. The second-stage activated blend includes activated carbon of a second microporosity percentage that is less than the first microporosity percentage. The steps of cooling and reheating may be repeated serially, to tailor the microporosity of the activated carbon.

A process for preparing activated carbon includes combining crushed petroleum coke (petcoke) with non-aqueous potassium hydroxide. The petcoke and the potassium hydroxide are then heated to a sub-activation temperature to yield a pre-activated blend. Under substantially inert conditions, the preactivated blend is then heated to at least the activation temperature of the petcoke to yield a first-stage activated blend. The first-stage activated blend includes activated carbon of a first microporosity percentage. The first-stage activated blend is then cooled to below the activation temperature of the petcoke. Under substantially inert conditions, the first-stage activated blend is then re-heated to at least the activation temperature of the petcoke to yield a second-stage activated blend. The second-stage activated blend includes activated carbon of a second microporosity percentage that is less than the first microporosity percentage. The steps of cooling and reheating may be repeated serially, to tailor the microporosity of the activated carbon.

A method is described to make a chemically activated carbon by first immersing a suitable carbonized material into a neutral aqueous solution of inorganic salts that constitutes the chemical activating agent. The carbonized material is then removed and forms a chemically loaded activatable material that is separately heated at temperatures up to 1000 C. to form the chemically activated carbon. An additional CO.sub.2 or steam activation step is implemented to increase the surface area up to 3000 m.sup.2/gm. The chemical activating agents are nitrate salts in aqueous solutions, and may be reused since they are not directly heated as part of the activation process. The carbonized precursor materials include naturally occurring sources of carbon, synthetic polymeric materials and petroleum based sources.

A method is described to make a chemically activated carbon by first immersing a suitable carbonized material into a neutral aqueous solution of inorganic salts that constitutes the chemical activating agent. The carbonized material is then removed and forms a chemically loaded activatable material that is separately heated at temperatures up to 1000 C. to form the chemically activated carbon. An additional CO.sub.2 or steam activation step is implemented to increase the surface area up to 3000 m.sup.2/gm. The chemical activating agents are nitrate salts in aqueous solutions, and may be reused since they are not directly heated as part of the activation process. The carbonized precursor materials include naturally occurring sources of carbon, synthetic polymeric materials and petroleum based sources.

A method of making heteroatom-doped activated carbon is described in this application. Specifically, it describes a process that utilizes liquid furfuryl-functional-group compounds as starting materials, which are then used to dissolve the heteroatom containing source compounds, before being polymerized into solids using catalysts. The polymerized solids are then carbonized and activated to make the heteroatom-doped activated carbon. Electric double-layer capacitors (EDLC) were fabricated with activated carbons doped with boron and nitrogen, and tested for performance. Also, the boron and nitrogen content in the activated carbons was confirmed by chemical analysis.

A process gas (such as a hydrocarbon gas) is flowed through a thermal cracking apparatus to crack the process gas into constituent components (such as hydrogen gas and solid carbon nano-particles, e.g., carbon nano-onions, necked carbon nano-onions, carbon nanospheres, graphene, graphite, highly ordered pyrolytic graphite, single walled nanotubes, and/or multi-walled nanotubes). The thermal cracking apparatus has an elongated heating element disposed within an inner volume along a longitudinal axis thereof. The elongated heating element heats the process gas as it flows within a longitudinal elongated reaction zone to thermally crack molecules of the process gas into the constituent components of the molecules.

This method for producing a carbon material includes: a step of mixing an ashless coal, which is obtained by subjecting coal to a solvent extraction treatment, with an ashless coal coke, which is obtained by carbonizing an ashless coal; a step of heating and molding the obtained mixture; and a step of carbonizing the obtained molded body. In addition, the obtained carbon material contains ashless coal and has an optically anisotropic structure in which the proportion of the structure that is a coarse-grained mosaic or finer is 90% or higher.

Disclosed are a recarburizer based on a solid iron-containing carbonaceous product derived from a process of pyrolyzing methane in a methane-containing feedstock in the presence of an iron-based catalyst and a method of producing the same, where a solid, iron-containing carbonaceous material formed during methane pyrolysis using the iron-based catalyst can be produced into a molded product having a predetermined shape without a costly purification process, and can thus be employed in high value-added applications such as recarburizers.