Effect of MoCl5 addition on the carbonization and the subsequent steam activation of pitch and coking coals Original Research Article

The present work is devoted to the study of the role of MoCl5 and its by-products on reactions involved in pore formation during the preparation of activated carbon for the manufacture of carbon-supported catalysts. The carbonaceous precursors were a coal tar pitch and three bituminous coals of increasing rank. Continuous detection of evolved tar and gas during carbonization was implemented and the data were correlated with the porosity development during carbonization and subsequent steam activation. It was found that MoCl5 promotes the microporosity growth during carbonization by dehydrogenation reactions leading to cross-linking and condensation reactions. The pores left in the char, as well as the residual molybdenum compounds, favour the development of the porosity during steam activation.