Patent ID: 7625839

Claim:
A method of making an activated carbon, which comprises the steps of: a) pulverizing a coconut shell; b) carbonizing said coconut shell in an inert atmosphere to produce a coconut shell char; and c) heat-treating said coconut shell char at a temperature ranging from 900° C. to 1,100° C. in a steam gas atmosphere containing an inert gas selected from the group consisting of nitrogen, argon, and a combustion exhaust gas, wherein the content of steam in said steam gas atmosphere ranges from 30% by volume to 100% by volume, wherein said activated carbon has a BET specific surface area of 2000 m 2 /g to 2500 m 2 /g, and an average pore diameter of 1.95 nm (19.5 Å) to 2.20 nm (22 Å), wherein the pore volume of pores having a pore diameter, as calculated according to a Cranston-Inkley method, of 5.0 nm (50 Å) to 30.0 nm (300 Å) is 0.05 cm 3 /g to 0.15 cm 3 /g.