Production of Fullerenes from Plant Materials and used Carbon Materials by Means of a Chip-Injection-Type J×B Arc Reactor

Abstract By using a chip-injection-type J×B arc reactor, carbon material chips of, for example, charcoal, activated carbon, sumi (Chinese ink stick), synthetic rubber and carbon black are well arc-sublimated in He gas and fullerenes are successfully produced from these materials. From the viewpoints of effective use of plant resources, recycling of used carbon materials and environmental low-emission technology, the utilization of these materials to produce fullerenes has potential as an environment-friendly technology.