• Applied Chemistry for Engineering
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• v.19 no.4
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• pp.445-451
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• 2008

In order to regenerate the activated carbon polluted by volatile organic compounds (VOCs) using microwave, adsorption and desorption characteristics of benzene over activated carbon (AC) coated with insulating materials were investigated. Physical characteristics of activated carbon and insulator-coated ACs were investigated by means of $N_2$ gas adsorption and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The amount of VOC adsorbed showed a positive relationship with the specific surface area of the ACs, and spark discharge over insulator-coated ACs did not occur. Potassium silicate (PS) was the best binder for coating of insulating materials on AC. Amount of benzene desorbed by microwave irradiation was dependent on output power of microwave. Nearly same performance was obtained even though the adsorption-desorption operation under microwave irradiation was repeated 5 times. Finally, it was known that the microwave heating was a very effective mean for regenerating the polluted AC.