How activated carbon is manufactured?

What is activated carbon?

Activated carbon is a highly porous substance that attracts and retains organic chemicals in it. The medium is created by first burning a carbonaceous material that does not contain oxygen, which produces carbon "char". Next, the "carbon" is chemically or physically treated to form a series of interconnected pores within the carbon. The large surface area of this internal pore network results in a very large surface area that can attract and hold organic chemicals. We offer activated carbon made from bituminous coal, lignite, coconut shell and wood.

What does activated carbon do?

Activated carbon attracts and retains organic chemicals from vapor and liquid streams to remove unwanted chemicals. It is not very capable of treating these chemicals, but is very cost effective in treating large volumes of air or water to remove dilute concentrations of contaminants. On a better note, when individuals ingest chemicals or are experiencing food poisoning, they are instructed to drink small amounts of activated carbon to absorb and remove the toxins.

Organic chemicals are most likely to be attracted to carbon. Few inorganic chemicals will be removed by carbon. Molecular weight, polarity, solubility in water, temperature of the fluid stream and concentration in the fluid are all factors that affect the carbon capacity of the material to be removed. VOCs such as benzene, toluene, xylene, oils and some chlorinated compounds are common target chemicals that are removed by the use of carbon. Other major uses of activated carbon are the removal of odors and color contamination.

How is activated carbon made?

Activated carbon is made by placing it in a tank without oxygen and subjecting it to extremely high temperatures of 600-900 degrees Celsius. Afterwards, the carbon is exposed to different chemicals, usually argon and nitrogen, and placed in a tank again and superheated from 600-1200 degrees Celsius. The second time the carbon is placed in the hot tank, it is exposed to steam and oxygen. Through this process, a pore structure is formed and the available surface area of the carbon is greatly increased.

What type of activated carbon should you use?

The first decision to use carbon is to treat a liquid or vapor stream. Air is best treated with large particle size carbon to reduce the pressure drop through the bed. Smaller particles are used for liquid applications to reduce the distance the chemical must travel to be adsorbed within the carbon. Whether your project is dealing with vapors or liquids, there are different sizes of carbon particles available. All different substrates need to be considered, such as coal or coconut shell based carbon. Talk to one of our sales representatives to get the best product for your job.