What is Activated Carbon

Activated carbon is man-made, extremely porous and pure carbon with a very large internal surface (4 g of activated carbon have a surface area of about the size of a soccer field). Therefore, it is the material with the largest internal adsorptive surface. This material primarily obtained from plant materials such as peat, wood (more recently bamboo), coconut shells, lignite or hard coal, but also from waste plastics and petroleum products. Animal substances such as bone and animal blood are used, albeit relatively rarely. The applications of activated carbon are varied, but it is primarily used for the purification of water and air from organic pollutants.



The main raw materials for activated carbon, namely coal, lignite and peat, originate from over 200 million years ago. At that time, a hot and humid climate prevailed upon the earth and it was covered by forests and swamps. By way of subsidence, earthquakes and floods in the following million years, the plants and trees rotted and were buried under sediments (deposits). In conjunction with carbonaceous gases, the coal and peat strata emerged. These coal deposits were only used, according to current knowledge, for the last two to three millennia. .

Until the late 18th century, coal and peat were mainly used as fuel. Then they found out, first with charcoal, that the carbon has an adsorption effect, i.e., they were able to decolorize certain liquids. But it was only the beginning of the 20th century when activated carbon began to be produced in large quantities. In particular, by ´´constantly improved and optimized production processes and new starting materials, it has since gained more and more importance. Today, more than 250,000 tons are produced annually worldwide.