Abstract: Activated carbon is produced by an improved process which comprises subjecting a mash comprising carbon-containing combustibles, phosphoric acid and water to a rapid thermal pretreatment at temperatures of from 80.degree. to 250.degree. C. in the presence of steam and oxygen followed by activation at temperatures of from 250.degree. to 550.degree. C. for no more than 30 minutes.

Abstract: In the production of activated carbon by passing a preheated gaseous activation medium through a zone containing a bed of carbon-containing material while indirectly heating to maintain a temperature of about 500.degree. to 1100.degree. C., supplying carbon-containing material to the bed, and removing activated carbon from the bed, the improvement which comprises introducing the activation medium and the carbon-containing material co-current near the bottom of the zone at a rate such that gaseous products are formed in a quantity sufficient to maintain in the zone a lower static layer and an upper fluidized layer in particular proportions, the rate of supply of the carbon-containing material and withdrawal of activated carbon being related so as to convert about 30 to 55% by weight of the carbon-containing material to gaseous products. The average residence of the carbon-containing material is from about 0.2 to 6, preferably 1 to 4, hours. A suitable apparatus for carrying out the process is described.

Abstract: In the production of break-resistant and abrasion-resistant shaped structures of active carbon, comprising the steps of molding a finely divided, carbon-containing starting material with a binder, hardening the molding, eliminating volatile constituents from the molding composition and activating the moldings at a temperature of about 700.degree. to 1200.degree.C with at least one of steam and carbon dioxide, the improvement which comprises molding the carbon-containing material with a binder comprising a mixture of a phenol and an aldehyde or a condensation product thereof. The carbon-containing starting material may contain volatiles and hardening is effected in two stages with elimination of volatiles, the first stage up to about 150 to 200.degree.C and the second stage up to about 600 to 700.degree.C. The moldings are characterized by a benzene-adsorption capacity in excess of about 25 %, a methylene blue number of at least about 10, an abrasion of less than about 0.6 %, a breakage of less than about 0.