Activated Charcoal and Its Uses across Industries

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Charcoal is essentially a form of carbon.Activated charcoal is nothing but charcoal that has been treated with oxygen in order to open up thousands of pores between the charcoal atoms. This substance has been used for hundreds of years in applications ranging from water purification to odor removal to various medicinal purposes. It shows excellent adsorbing properties. A point to be noted here is that ‘adsorption’ is different from ‘absorption’. Adsorption is when a material attaches to another material owing to chemical attraction.

This oxygen-treated charcoal is also known as activated carbon.It demonstrates great results when it comes to adsorbing odors and colored substances from liquids as well as gases. Charcoal that has been activated has a surface area of anywhere between 300 to 2,000 sq meters per gram.

This gives us an idea about the incredible adsorption properties contained in this substance.

When a chemical comes in close proximity to the surface of such treated carbon, it gets attached and trapped to the surface. That’s precisely why it is used in applications such as water purifications all the impurities get adsorbed and trapped by the charcoal. It is widely used in water filters that we use in homes and in industries.

However, activated charcoal might not work as effectively with sodium and nitrates. Also, once it has adsorbed a material to its full capacity, this form of charcoal will be ineffective. This is the stage at which it needs to be changed or replaced. The good part is that such charcoal can be restored (regenerated or reactivated) for use through a special process. This is why the demand for such carbon continues to rise not just in the United States, but in practically every part of the world.

Charcoal that has been activated can be used in different applications spanning multiple industries. Following are a few uses:

Water treatment: Such charcoal can be used rather effectively when it comes to applications related to groundwater remediation and waste water treatment. In homes, it can be used for treating water in an aquarium. In fact, municipalities increasingly require it to treat waste water.Air treatment: There are a number of air and gas purification processes that make use of carbon. For instance, it is used in vapor extraction and odor control in the domestic and industrial sector. It can also be used in a gas mask.Food processes: Activated carbon has found some critical uses in the food and beverage industry. It can be used for glycerin purification, edible oil purification, de-colorization of corn and cane sugar. In addition, it can also be used for deodorization of juices and wines.Chemical industry: In the chemical industry, activated charcoal can be used for applications such as precious metal recovery, chemical purification, sludge stabilization, solvent recovery among other things.

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