Adsorption of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons from water using petroleum coke-derived porous carbon.

Porous carbons were prepared from petroleum coke by KOH chemical activation, characterized and used as adsorbents for uptaking a mixture of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs): naphthalene, fluorene, phenanthrene, pyrene and fluoranthene from aqueous solutions. The specific surface area (SSA) of these carbons ranges from 562 to 1904 m2/g, while their point of zero charge (pH(PZC)) varies from 2.6 to 8.