The physical and chemical properties of the activated carbon have an important influence on the performance of carbon based catalysts for the dehydrochlorination reaction of tetrachloroethane(TeCA) to trichloroethylene (TCE). Activated carbons were pretreated by the use of acid or alkali solution. The surface oxygen-containing groups

physical structure

and the types and content of inorganic oxides of untreated and pretreated activated carbons were characterized by XRF

BET and Boehm titration. The physical structure and high boiling organic residues of the used activated carbon samples were obtained with the help of BET and GC-MS. The performances of different treated activated carbon samples for the reaction of TeCA to TCE were investigated. Furthermore

deactivation mechanism was discussed by the association of these physical and chemical properties and the stability of the activated carbon samples. The results showed that the treatments brought major change to the type and content of inorganic oxides rather than oxygen-containing groups and physical structure. The specific surface area and pore volume of the used carbon samples decreased with the generated 1

1

2

4

4-pentachlorobuta-1

3-diene. The main factor on the stability of activated carbon samples was not the surface oxygenic groups

but the Al and Fe. Water and Lewis acid like AlCl3 and FeCl3 were generated from the reaction of Al (Fe) oxides and by-product HCl. Under the effect of the Lewis acid

tetrachloroethane or trichloroethylene accelerates the formation of carbocation intermediate. Then

carbocation was polymerized with trichloroethene and undergone dehydrochlorination to give 1

1

2

4

4-pentachlorobuta-1

3-diene (1

1

2

3

4-pentachlorobuta-1

3-diene)

even other polymerizations with longer molecular chains. These polymers were accumulated in the hole of activated carbon

leading to the decrease of the specific surface area and then the deactivation of the catalyst.