Granular Activated Carbon Video

This informative video presents an overview of what activated carbon is, how it is manufactured, and describes many of its applications. It provides a detailed look at the production of carbon demonstrating how the raw materials are carbonized and then activated with steam to produce granular activated carbon.

Video – Activated Carbon [5:02]
This brief video presents an overview of granular activated carbon, including the manufacturing process, typical applications, and a description of the adsorption process. Source: Modern Marvels

Uses of Granular Activated Carbon

People have been using activated carbon as a water filtration medium since the middle ages. Sugar manufacturers in the early 19th century used activated carbon in their factories to refine sugar. Today, this compound is widely used in numerous industrial, commercial, and home applications.

What is activated carbon?

Activated carbon is formed when an organic material with high levels of naturally occurring carbon is slowly heated in a low oxygen environment. The process draws out any water traces and impurities in the material without allowing it to burn. The end product of the process is known as char.

The char is then put through a variety of chemical and physical processing methods to create submicroscopic pores within the particles and increase its surface area. The result of these processes is a product known as activated carbon.

What is granular activated carbon?

Granular activated carbon (GAC) can be best defined as a hybrid mixture of graphite platelets which are interconnected by non-graphitic carbon bonding. This relationship makes granular activated carbon a rather adsorptive compound. It makes it ideal to use as a water treatment agent that can also be used to remove a variety of contaminants from other liquids and gases.

Granular activated carbon is also an environmentally safe product. It can be reactivated numerous times through thermal oxidation and put to use for the same functions.

Applications for granular activated carbon

Granular activated carbon can be used in a wide range of applications. Its use will be dependent on whether you want to use it in large or small scale. The carbon compound can be used for:

• Water treatment
• Deodorization applications
• Granular activated carbon can remove most organic compounds.

It should be noted that granular activated carbon should not be used when dealing with inorganic compounds. These compounds exist in ionized form when in water. They create strong bonds that are tough for the granular activated carbon to break.

Activated Carbon Continuing Education Courses

If Granular Activated Carbon is of interest to you, consider our continuing education courses that address this subject directly.

CH-02-105 Carbon Adsorption for VOCs – 4 PDH
This course presents adsorption theory and provides detailed design procedures for various types of carbon adsorption equipment. It includes guidance on adsorption technologies suitable for VOC removal with the most commonly used adsorber configurations and provides several example problems.

CH-02-105W Live Webinar: Carbon Adsorption for VOCs – 4 PDH
This live webinar course presents adsorption theory and provides detailed design procedures for various types of carbon adsorption equipment. It includes guidance on adsorption technologies suitable for VOC removal with the most commonly used adsorber configurations and provides several example problems.