Data On Activated Carbon And Sections Of Industry Where It Is Used

| Wednesday, July 24, 2013
By Hailie J. Jaskolski


Activated charcoal is one of the most extensively cultivated natural resources of this century, and understandably so considering its multiple uses and benefits. Since it is a main component of so many products, it predictably affects the daily life of many consumers in some way. Here's a little information about how it is made and used.

Activated charcoal (or carbon) is made in one of two ways. Firstly, this can be done by heating natural form charcoal to between 600-1200 degrees in a steam, air, or CO2 rich enclosure. Secondly, it can be formed using one of various chemical components that are combined and then heated at a lesser temperature of 450-900 degrees. The two processes corrode the charcoal's internal surface, making it more porous and absorbent (up to three times more effective) than regular charcoal in most environments.

Charcoal is a black or dark gray form of carbon (the black, rock like fossil fuel made of carbonized organic matter), and is made by heating wood or other organic substances in an airtight enclosure. This process consists of positioning large piles of wood in a way that the heat from the fire will remove all water and other volatile elements from any animal and vegetation substances that may have been on or in it. The slower the process, the better quality charcoal is produced. Historically, raw charcoal was used to preserve food and water, lumber, cadavers, control odors, to make glass, and other purposes, but in its active form, is even more useful.

There are more than a few types of activated carbon out there, each one used for a particular application. Powdered activated carbon is made up of crushed or ground carbon particles that are powder fine. Granular activated carbon has bigger particles than powder activated carbon, and is used to filter harmful gases, treat water, deodorize airways, and to purify the air in duct systems. Extruded activated carbon has an extruded and cylindrical shape, and is primarily used for gas phase applications since it has a low-pressure drop rate, low dust content, and is stronger than other activated carbon types. Impregnated activated carbon is made of inorganic elements (iodine, silver, etc.) mixed with porous activated carbons that are used to filter water in space stations, clean the gas ways of coal-fired energy plants, and airways in museums and art galleries. Polymers coated activated carbon is made by coating porous carbon with biocompatible polymer (a naturally occurring or synthetic composite consisting of large molecules) so that it has smooth and permeable coating that won't block its pores; this is often used in hemoperfusion (a medical treatment that removes toxic substances from blood). Activated carbon cloth is made from activated carbon and is used in garments, masks, wound dressings, and multi-use charcoal filters to protect users from exposure to radioactive contaminates. Biochar activated charcoal is produced through a carbonization process (called a pyrolysis) that takes the raw carbon product straight through to the activation stage in as little as an hour, is used to run electrical turbines and produce biofuels with little or no carbon footprint.

If you are interested in any of these products and applications, do a little more research and investigating of your own. Do that and you will most likely find the product you want, produced by a professional and trustworthy company.




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