Enhanced mechanical stability with hierarchical porosity of activated carbon pellets realized through the use of combined polymer binders

Kim, Jong-Won; Hong, Sang-Min; Kang, Ji-Won; Yang, Jae Hwan; Jeon, Sang-Chae; Kim, Jong-Won; Hong, Sang-Min; Kang, Ji-Won; Yang, Jae Hwan; Jeon, Sang-Chae

doi:2025.62.1.103

J. Korean Ceram. Soc. > Volume 62(1); 2025 > Article

Original Article

Journal of the Korean Ceramic Society 2025;62(1): 103-113.
doi: https://doi.org/10.1007/s43207-024-00448-z

Enhanced mechanical stability with hierarchical porosity of activated carbon pellets realized through the use of combined polymer binders

Jong-Won Kim¹, Sang-Min Hong¹, Ji-Won Kang², Jae Hwan Yang^3,4, Sang-Chae Jeon¹

¹Department of Materials Convergence and System Engineering, Changwon National University, 20 Changwondaehak-ro, Changwon, Gyeongsangnam-do, 51140, South Korea
²Department of Hydrogen Energy Materials, Korea Institute of Materials Science (KIMS), Changwon, 51508, South Korea
³Department of Environmental Engineering, Chungnam National University, 99 Daehak-ro, Daejeon, Yuseong-gu, 34134, South Korea
⁴Department of Environmental and IT Engineering, Chungnam National University, 99 Daehak-ro, Daejeon, Yuseong-gu, 34134, South Korea

Correspondence

Sang-Chae Jeon ,Email: scjeon@changwon.ac.kr

Received: June 26, 2024; Revised: August 27, 2024 Accepted: September 17, 2024. Published online: October 2, 2024.

ABSTRACT

Activated carbon (AC) is a promising absorbent feasible for use in the removal of various pollutants from wastewater. From a practical standpoint, AC must be in a bulk form such as granules or pellets with a well-developed porous internal architecture. Sufficient mechanical stability is also important to secure functionality and durability of this material. The fabrication of the granules and pellets usually requires the addition of a binder to provide mechanical stability of the bulk, thus highlighting the importance of the proper selection of the binder. In this study, to realize better binder compositions, a combination of polymer binders was used and the effects of such combination were investigated using polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) and polyvinyl pyrrolidone (PVP). As a result, the following promising binder composition is suggested: PVA:PVP = 3:7 in wt.%. The optimized composition exhibited 146% higher compressive strength and showed superior agitation resistance, with a total binder content of 10 wt.% compared to commercial AC pellets. Moreover, the mixed binder provided good hierarchical porosity, enhancing the permeability of fluids in potential filter applications.

Key words: Activated carbon · Shaping · Porosity · Mechanical properties