Although in the research focused on HCN adsorption on
impregnated carbons, some comparisons to the performance
on unmodified carbons were presented [2] and some studies
focuses on unmodified carbon [8], to our best knowledge,
the role of the carbon surface in retention of HCN, has never
been elucidated in detail. Therefore the objective of this paper
is to link the HCN adsorption capacity measured on carbons
with different surface chemistry and porosity to the specific
features of the surfaces on which adsorption/reactive adsorption
occurs. Taking into account heteroatoms incorporated to
the carbon matrix, the chemical character of groups they
form, the available physical space where adsorption/reactive
adsorption can occur, and the nature of the species deposited
on the surface, we attempt to propose the mechanism in
which all of those factors play an important and specific role.