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Activated carbon useful as polarizable electrode material for an electric double-layer capacitor can be obtained by mixing a carbonaceous material and an alkali metal hydroxide while maintaining a solid state, granulating the obtained mixture while maintaining its solid state, dehydrating the obtain

Activated carbon useful as polarizable electrode material for an electric double-layer capacitor can be obtained by mixing a carbonaceous material and an alkali metal hydroxide while maintaining a solid state, granulating the obtained mixture while maintaining its solid state, dehydrating the obtained granulated substance while maintaining its solid state, and subjecting the granulated dehydration product obtained in the dehydration step to an activation treatment. The preferred pressure of the granulation treatment in the granulation step is 0.01 to 300 Torr, and the preferred temperature of the granulation treatment is 90 to 140° C. The preferred pressure of the dehydration treatment in the dehydration step is 0.01 to 10 Torr, and the preferred temperature of the dehydration treatment is 200 to 400° C.

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The invention claimed is: 1. A method for manufacturing an activated carbon, comprising: mixing a carbonaceous material and an alkali metal hydroxide while maintaining a solid state to obtain a mixture; granulating the mixture while maintaining a solid state to obtain a granulated product; dehydrat

The invention claimed is: 1. A method for manufacturing an activated carbon, comprising: mixing a carbonaceous material and an alkali metal hydroxide while maintaining a solid state to obtain a mixture; granulating the mixture while maintaining a solid state to obtain a granulated product; dehydrating the granulated product while maintaining a solid state to obtain a dehydrated product; and subjecting the dehydrated product to an activation treatment to obtain the activated carbon, wherein the carbonaceous material comprises grains with a maximum length of 500 μm or less in the direction of the major axis. 2. The manufacturing method according to claim 1, wherein the temperature in said granulating is 80° C. or more. 3. The manufacturing method according to claim 1, wherein the maximum diameter of the granulated product is 50 mm or less. 4. The manufacturing method according to claim 1, wherein the temperature in said dehydrating is 200° C. or more. 5. The manufacturing method according to claim 1, wherein the pressure in said dehydrating is 0.01 to 10 Torr, and the temperature in said dehydrating is 200 to 400° C. 6. The manufacturing method according to claim 1, wherein the carbonaceous material is an easily graphitizable carbonaceous material. 7. The manufacturing method according to claim 1, wherein the carbonaceous material is a mesophase pitch carbon fiber. 8. The manufacturing method according to claim 1, wherein the alkali metal hydroxide has an average particle diameter of 1 mm or less. 9. The manufacturing method according to claim 1, wherein the alkali metal hydroxide is sodium hydroxide and/or potassium hydroxide. 10. The manufacturing method according to claim 1, wherein no less than 1 part by weight of alkali metal hydroxide is mixed with 1 part by weight of carbonaceous material in said mixing. 11. The manufacturing method according to claim 1, wherein the temperature in said activation treatment is 500° C. to 900° C. 12. The manufacturing method according to claim 1, further comprising adding a finely pulverized carbonaceous material to the alkali metal hydroxide prior to said mixing in an mount of 0.5 to 10 wt %. 13. The manufacturing method according to claim 12, wherein variation in the composition ratio of the alkali metal hydroxide relative to the carbonaceous material in the granulated and/or dehydrated product is 5% or less. 14. The manufacturing method according to claim 13, wherein variation in the composition ratio of the alkali metal hydroxide relative to the carbonaceous material is 2% or less. 15. The manufacturing method according to claim 1, wherein the rate at which the temperature is raised to 200 to 600° C. is 5° C./minute or less, and the holding time at a holding temperature of 700° C. or more is 0.5 to 8 hours in the activation treatment. 16. The manufacturing method according to claim 15, wherein the rate at which the temperature is raised to 200 to 600° C. is 2° C./minute or less. 17. The manufacturing method according to claim 15, wherein the holding time at a holding temperature of 700° C. or more is 1 to 6 hours. 18. The manufacturing method according to claim 15, wherein the holding temperature is 700 to 850° C. 19. The manufacturing method according to claim 15, wherein the activation treatment is performed in a rotary kiln. 20. The manufacturing method according to claim 19, wherein the activation treatment is a continuous process. 21. A method for manufacturing an activated carbon, comprising: mixing a carbonaceous material and an alkali metal hydroxide while maintaining a solid state to obtain a mixture; granulating the mixture while maintaining a solid state to obtain a granulated product; dehydrating the granulated product while maintaining a solid state to obtain a dehydrated product; and subjecting the dehydrated product to an activation treatment to obtain the activated carbon, wherein alkali metal in vapor form that is generated during activation treatment is sorbed to the activated carbon for sorption by circulating inert gas through the system in at least the activation treatment and contacting the circulating inert gas for 0.5 seconds or more with the activated carbon for sorption wherein the activated carbon has been heated to a temperature of 300 to 800° C. 22. The manufacturing method according to claim 21, wherein the circulating inert gas has a linear velocity of 1.0 to 10.0 mm/second. 23. A method for manufacturing an activated carbon, comprising: mixing a carbonaceous material and an alkali metal hydroxide while maintaining a solid state to obtain a mixture; granulating the mixture while maintaining a solid state to obtain a granulated product; dehydrating the granulated product while maintaining a solid state to obtain a dehydrated product; and subjecting the dehydrated product to an activation treatment to obtain the activated carbon, wherein the pressure in said granulating is 0.01 to 300 Torr, and the temperature in said granulating is 90 to 140° C. 24. A method for manufacturing an activated carbon, comprising: mixing a carbonaceous material and an alkali metal hydroxide while maintaining a solid state to obtain a mixture; granulating the mixture while maintaining a solid state to obtain a granulated product; dehydrating the granulated product while maintaining a solid state to obtain a dehydrated product; and subjecting the dehydrated product to an activation treatment to obtain the activated carbon, wherein during said dehydrating, the pressure and the temperature rise rate are set so as to satisfy the following equation (2), Pv<15 Torr·° C./minute  (2) wherein P is the pressure (Torr), and v is the temperature rise rate (° C./minute). 25. A method for manufacturing an activated carbon, comprising: mixing a carbonaceous material and an alkali metal hydroxide while maintaining a solid state to obtain a mixture; granulating the mixture while maintaining a solid state to obtain a granulated product; dehydrating the granulated product while maintaining a solid state to obtain a dehydrated product; and subjecting the dehydrated product to an activation treatment to obtain the activated carbon, wherein the carbonaceous material is a mesophase pitch carbon fiber and the mesophase pitch carbon fiber comprises 50 vol % or more of an optically anisotropic phase. 26. A method for manufacturing an activated carbon, comprising: mixing a carbonaceous material and an alkali metal hydroxide while maintaining a solid state to obtain a mixture; granulating the mixture while maintaining a solid state to obtain a granulated product; dehydrating the granulated product while maintaining a solid state to obtain a dehydrated product; and subjecting the dehydrated product to an activation treatment to obtain the activated carbon, wherein said granulating and said dehydrating are performed so as to satisfy the following equation (3), [A1/B1]≧[A2/B2]  (3) wherein A1 (N) is the crushing strength of the granulated product, B1 (cm) is the diameter of the granulated product, A2 (N) is the crushing strength of the dehydrated product, and B2 (cm) is the diameter of the dehydrated product. 27. A dehydration product for an activated carbon obtained by the process comprising mixing a carbonaceous material and an alkali metal hydroxide while maintaining a solid state to obtain a mixture, granulating the mixture while maintaining its solid state to obtain a granulated substance, and dehydrating the granulated substance while maintaining a solid state to obtain the dehydrated product; wherein said dehydrated product satisfies the following equation (1), [M1/C1]/[M2/C2]≦2.4  (1) where [M1/C1] is the alkali metal/carbon ratio in the surface layer region thereof, and [M2/C2] is the alkali metal/carbon ratio in the center portion thereof.