The results of studies on briquetting activated-carbon-based adsorbent materials, prepared from raw materials from the region of Cuyo, Argentina, are reported in this article. Several steps were carried out to obtain activated-carbon briquettes from Eucalyptus camaldulensis Dehn wood. These steps included carbonization of wood to obtain char; blending of char and a novel binder, i.e., grape must; formation of cylinder-like briquettes by pressure; and activation of the resulting material. The material was activated with steam under different temperatures, activation times, and activating agent flow rates. Impact resistance index, axial compressive strength, tensile strength by diametrical compression, BET area, and pore volume were measured for product characterization. Satisfactory surface areas and mechanical strengths were found in the final products.

The physical characterization of solids, mainly the surface area measurement and the pore size distribution determination by means of nitrogen adsorption and mercury porosimetry, respectively, might be a matter of controversy in the case of materials that can suffer important structural changes between 77K and their operation temperatures (room or higher), or whose pore structure may be damaged due to the mercury intrusion. The goal of this work is to identify changes in the physical structure of solids when they are exposed to temperatures similar to those used in conventional thermal pretreatments, when they are used as catalysts, by means of mass transfer coefficient measurements. Our working hypothesis is that, if structural changes occur, these should be easily detected via noticeable changes in the mass transfer coefficient for a selected adsorbate. The calculation of relaxation constants, which characterize the transport of cyclohexane through the hybrid materials is carried out by modeling the experimental data corresponding to the transient state of the adsorption tests.