Dear friend Azrine Ajien

I shall shed light on the use of methanol for washing activated carbon before BET surface analysis.

Let's explore!

Methanol can indeed be used as a washing solvent for activated carbon to remove surface impurities or contaminants. Methanol is a polar solvent with good solubility for many organic compounds and is commonly employed for surface cleaning purposes.

The rationale behind using methanol for washing activated carbon is that it can effectively dissolve and remove organic residues or contaminants that may be present on the carbon surface. By washing the activated carbon with methanol, you can enhance the purity and cleanliness of the sample, which is crucial for accurate BET surface analysis.

To wash activated carbon with methanol, you can follow these steps:

1. Prepare a sufficient quantity of methanol.

2. Take the activated carbon sample and place it in a suitable container.

3. Pour methanol over the activated carbon, ensuring that the sample is fully immersed.

4. Agitate the mixture gently to enhance the cleaning process.

5. Allow the activated carbon to soak in methanol for a sufficient period, typically several hours or overnight, to ensure thorough cleaning.

6. After the soaking period, separate the activated carbon from the methanol by filtration or decantation.

7. Rinse the activated carbon with fresh methanol to remove any residual impurities.

8. Finally, dry the washed activated carbon under controlled conditions, such as in an oven, to remove any remaining traces of methanol.

Alternatively, if methanol is not suitable for your specific application or if you want to explore alternative washing methods, other solvents like acetone, ethanol, or deionized water can be considered. The choice of solvent should be based on the nature of the contaminants or impurities you aim to remove and the compatibility of the solvent with the activated carbon.

Let us keep exploring this interesting topic.

Kaushik Shandilya

Thank you for the answer.

Now, several questions are raised:

Do you know any article which used methanol as a chemical to wash carbon material, i.e., biochar or activated carbon? Can I receive the research articles?

For the steps involved in methanol washing:

Step 1: Prepare a sufficient quantity of methanol.

• What is the concentration of methanol used to wash carbon material?
• Are there any previous which study the effect of methanol on the properties, i.e., BET surface area, of biochar or activated carbon

Step 2: Take the activated carbon sample and place it in a suitable container.

• What is the mass of carbon material is required to be placed inside a suitable container? How much?
• Which types of containers are suitable for the carbon material to be placed? Conical flask?

Step 3: Pour methanol over the activated carbon, ensuring that the sample is fully immersed.

• What is the volume of liquid methanol usually used to fully immerse the carbon material?

Step 4: Agitate the mixture gently to enhance the cleaning process.

• How to agitate the mixture (gently) to enhance the cleaning process?
• Can the agitation of the mixture be done by using an orbital shaker? How long does the agitation of the mixture usually take place?
• At what rpm is usually applied when using an orbital shaker on the mixture?

Step 5: Allow the activated carbon to soak in methanol for a sufficient period, typically several hours or overnight, to ensure thorough cleaning.

• It is known overnight refers to 7 - 8 hours. Is it okay if the sample is collected after 7 - 8 hours?

Step 6: After soaking, separate the activated carbon from the methanol by filtration or decantation.

• It is known overnight refers to 7 - 8 hours. Is it okay if the sample is collected after 7 - 8 hours?

Step 7: Rinse the activated carbon with fresh methanol to remove any residual impurities.

• No question for the step for now.

Step 8: Finally, dry the washed activated carbon under controlled conditions, such as in an oven, to remove any remaining traces of methanol.

• What are the recommended temperature and time to dry the washed carbon material?

If can, please do add any article or citation for any step.

Thank you very much.