The application of principal components analysis for the comparison of chemical and physical properties among activated carbon models

Abstract

• Physical and chemical properties of four-type AC models were investigated PCA. • Surface area is the property influenced the most by chemical composition of ACs. • Higher oxidation rate showed a higher dependence on the chemical properties. In this paper, the physical and chemical properties of four-type activated carbon (AC) models were investigated by Principal Component Analysis (PCA). This method showed a high separation between chemical and physical properties, with the exception of %O and the different functional groups. Factors showed a high similarity with the surface area, from one side, and a high correlation with an elevated degree of oxidation, in another side. This indicates that the surface area is the physical property that is influenced the most by the chemical composition of AC. In addition, higher oxidation rate showed a higher dependence on the chemical properties, yet a lower one on the physical properties.