What Are The Environmental Applications Of Activated Carbon?

by Vinni S. SEO Executive

Carbon, as we have studied, is one of the most unique elements in the periodic table. It has some qualities that set it apart from all the other elements present in the world. Activated carbon is a product of carbon and has various qualities that make it useful in a variety of applications. It is a powerful adsorbent and can quickly absorb the undesirable components or the contaminants from a participant compound to make it clean. Its uses have been observed in a variety of industries to remove unwanted items like chlorine, trihalomethanes, pesticides, detergents and hydrocarbons. These agents could deteriorate the quality of water and not just for drinking but for various other purposes as well. Its use has also been witnessed in the industries comprising major restaurants, bottling plants, and even food processing companies to purify the quality of water and other substances.

Why Is Activated Carbon Used In Environmental Applications?
Activated carbon used in environmental applications is so powerful and effective owing to its micorporosity. In fact, a single gram of activated carbon is even known to be having a surface area which is even more than 3,000 meter square (32,000 sq ft). It is usually made using organic materials like coal, coconut shell, wood, etc., which are rich in carbon. As the environmental health is becoming an important issue, the use of activated carbon for purification is becoming an effective method. There are many other environmental applications of activated carbon as well and some of them have been discussed below:

In Air Purification: Activated carbon is known to be having the quality of absorbing all the impurities from the gases and making them pure. This is why, activated carbon is now widely used for controlling the air quality by purifying it. One of the most noteworthy application of activated carbon is in the purification of flue gas. Flue gas is the gas which is released as exhaust gas from different industries. It might contain various harmful pollutants like heavy metals, furans, and dioxins. These are not removed through normal purification process but using activated carbon can purify the flue gas and minimize its effect on the environment.

In Water Purification: Not only is activated carbon used in the in-home water filters that we use for purifying the water we drink, it is also used on a large scale to purify water for various industrial and agricultural uses. One of its uses is seen in the treatment of wastewater released by the municipality and other industries. Activated carbon used in this application can remove the organic and inorganic compounds along with heavy metals from the water. Apart from that, activated carbon is also used in groundwater remediation. It can remove the volatile organic compounds from the ground water to make it fit for drinking and other applications. For the purification of water, one can use the activated carbon in the form of granules as well as powder. It can effectively clean water and make it fit for different applications, especially drinking.