What is activated carbon?

Activated carbon is man-made, very porous and pure carbon with a very big internal surface - 4 g activated carbon have approximately a surface area of the size of a soccer field. Thus it is the material with the biggest internal absorbent surface. This material is extracted mostly from organic raw materials like turf, wood (newly also bamboo), coconut shell, brown – or anthracite coal, as well as from plastic waste and petroleum products. Proportionally uncommon is the use of animal products like bones and animal blood. The application of activated carbon is variegated, but primarily it is used to purify water and air from organic noxious substances.



The main raw materials that are needed for activated carbon (brown-, anthracite coal and turf), developed already over 200 million years ago. Back then, the climate was hot and humid and the earth was covered with forests and swamps. Due to subsidence, earthquakes and floods in the following millions of years, the plants and trees rotted and got buried under sediments. In combination with carbonaceous gases, this way, the turf containing and carboniferous layers of earth developed. According to present knowledge, these coal deposits are used only since two to three millenniums.

Till the end of the 18th century, charcoal and turf was mostly used as a heating material. Then it was found – first with charcoal – that carbon has an adsorption efficiency, which means that it is able to decolorize certain fluids. But it was not until the beginning of the 20th century, when activated carbon was produced in larger amounts. Especially due to permanently improving and optimized production methods and new advanced raw materials, activated carbon has gained in importance since then. Today, annually over 250.000 tons of activated carbon are produced worldwide.