What is activated carbon? The great uses of activated charcoal

Activated carbon is an indispensable ingredient in today’s cleaning equipment such as hoods, water purifiers, air purifiers,… Please refer to the following article to understand what activated carbon is and What is its use?

What is activated carbon?

Activated carbon (also known as activated carbon, English name is Activated Carbon ) is a form of carbon with high porosity, lots of cracks, small pores to molecular size. Such a special structure makes the surface area of activated carbon very large, from which it is easy to absorb and react with many different substances.

Activated carbon is created from burning carbon-rich fuels such as wood, coal, coconut shells, bamboo at high temperatures from 600 to 900 degrees Celsius in anaerobic conditions.

Types of activated carbon

Activated carbon has 5 common physical forms as follows:

Activated carbon powder

Activated carbon is ground into fine powder with size from 0.2mm to 0.5mm. Powdered activated carbon is cheap because it is easy to produce, the contact surface is very large, so it is used in applications that need to be prepared such as in cosmetics, toothpaste, … and chemical processing.

Due to its easy leaching and unstable nature, powdered activated carbon is mainly used as an adjuvant in industrial alum water treatment systems or used in RO membranes.

Granular activated carbon

In this form, the activated carbon particles are randomly shaped with sizes from 0.2 to 5mm. Granular activated carbon is harder and more durable than powder, its large size is difficult to wash away, so it is often used for the treatment of industrial wastewater and domestic water.

Activated Charcoal Tablets

Activated carbon in this form is compressed and formed into a cylinder with a diameter of 0.8 to 5mm. Activated carbon in tablet form with a cylindrical structure should be stronger and more durable than other forms of coal, has a moderate size and has a large contact surface area, so it is used to filter toxic gases very well.

Tubular activated carbon

Tubular activated carbon can be formed into large tubes with diameters from 1cm to 5cm for industrial use and large filtration systems.

Activated carbon sheet

Activated carbon sheet is a combination of a frame and a sponge impregnated with charcoal powder for use in air purification.

Mechanism of action of activated carbon

Activated carbon thanks to the cracks and small holes will easily physically absorb impurities, dirt and pollutants such as Chlorine, Benzene in water and SO2, CO2, H2S in the air , making these substances adhesion on the surface of carbon. The larger the activated carbon surface area, the stronger the attraction.

What does activated charcoal do?

With its absorbent properties, activated carbon is applied in many different fields such as:

Water treatment application

Activated carbon will remove organic substances, chemicals, impurities dissolved in water, is applied in both wastewater treatment, domestic water and pure drinking water.

Application in exhaust gas treatment, deodorization

Activated carbon is widely used for deodorizing in kitchen deodorizers, deodorizing in wastewater treatment and pure drinking water, deodorizing and bactericidal in air conditioners, and industrial waste gas treatment.

Medical applications

Activated charcoal effectively treats symptoms such as flatulence, diarrhea, stomach and intestinal pain, detoxification… by absorbing harmful substances to the body and excreting them through the digestive tract.

Industrial applications

In industry, activated carbon is used to treat end metals, typically in the purification of electroplating solutions. Activated carbon also has applications in the mining industry to extract and filter gold, silver, and other precious metals.

Some other apps

Activated charcoal is added in cosmetics, facial cleansers, bath oils, and facial masks to disinfect, absorb dirt, and toxins from pores. Toothpaste is also added to activated charcoal to absorb plaque and bacteria. Medical masks and respirators also have activated carbon in them.

Above is an article to share with you about activated charcoal and its uses . Hope the above information is useful to you, and please leave a comment if you have any questions.