Here is a curated list of 20 leading activated carbon manufacturers and suppliers worldwide, based on recent industry analyses and market reports:
Global Leaders in Activated Carbon Manufacturing
Calgon Carbon Corporation (USA) – A pioneer in activated carbon technologies, offering a wide range of products for water and air purification.
Cabot Corporation (USA) – A global specialty chemicals company with a significant presence in activated carbon production.
Kuraray Co., Ltd. (Japan) – Known for its high-performance materials, including activated carbon used in various applications.
Jacobi Carbons Group (Sweden) – Offers a comprehensive range of activated carbon products for diverse industries.
Haycarb PLC (Sri Lanka) – Specializes in coconut shell-based activated carbon, catering to global markets.
Donau Carbon GmbH (Germany) – Provides various grades of activated carbon for applications like waste gas cleanup and air purification.
Ingevity (USA) – Focuses on high-performance activated carbon for automotive and industrial applications.
Puragen Activated Carbons (USA) – Offers a wide array of activated carbon solutions for air and water purification.
CarboTech AC GmbH (Germany) – Supplies activated carbon products for air, water, and industrial processes.
Evoqua Water Technologies (USA) – Provides water treatment solutions, including activated carbon filtration systems.
Additional Noteworthy Manufacturers
Carbon Activated Corporation (USA) – Offers a broad spectrum of activated carbon products for various industries.
DESOTEC (Belgium) – Specializes in mobile filtration solutions using activated carbon for industrial applications.
Veolia (France) – Provides environmental solutions, including activated carbon for water and air treatment.
BASF SE (Germany) – A global chemical company producing activated carbon for diverse applications.
The Dow Chemical Company (USA) – Offers activated carbon products as part of its extensive chemical portfolio.
Clariant (Switzerland) – Provides specialty chemicals, including activated carbon for purification processes.
Umicore (Belgium) – Engages in materials technology, including the production of activated carbon.
Kureha Corporation (Japan) – Produces advanced materials, including activated carbon for various uses.
Henan Xingnuo Environmental Protection Materials Co., Ltd. (China) – Offers a range of activated carbon products for environmental applications.
Cactus Carbon Pty. Ltd. (South Africa) – Supplies activated carbon and related services across multiple industries.
These companies are recognized for their contributions to the activated carbon industry, offering products and services across various sectors, including water and air purification, industrial processing, and environmental management.
A black, porous, carbonaceous material, 85 to 98 percent carbon, produced by the destructive distillation of wood and used as a fuel, filter, and adsorbent. Charcoal is amorphous and porous carbon, it contains almost no graphite phase and it may contain partially carbonized organizing substances as well as tar and mineral all of these varying tremendously with the source used to generate the Charcoal. Activated carbon is similar but it has been prepared from substrates carefully selected to yield a very high porosity. Some forms come from carbonizing carbohydrate substrates like starch or celluloid yielding very low mineral content. Activated carbon is a kind of black porous solid carbon, by coal by grinding, molding or with uniform coal particles by carbonization, activation of production.
Graphite
A soft crystalline allotrope of carbon, composed of graphene layers, having a steel-gray to black metallic luster and agreasy feel, used in lead pencils, lubricants, paints and coatings, and fabricated into a variety of forms such as molds,bricks, electrodes, crucibles, and rocket nozzles. Graphite is 3D
A soft crystalline allotrope of carbon, composed of graphene layers, having a steel-gray to black metallic luster and agreasy feel, used in lead pencils, lubricants, paints and coatings, and fabricated into a variety of forms such as molds,bricks, electrodes, crucibles, and rocket nozzles.
A soft crystalline allotrope of carbon, composed of graphene layers, having a steel-gray to black metallic luster and agreasy feel, used in lead pencils, lubricants, paints and coatings, and fabricated into a variety of forms such as molds, bricks, electrodes, crucibles, and rocket nozzles.
The chemical bonds in graphite are similar in strength to those found in diamond. However, the lattice structure of the carbon atoms contributes to the difference in hardness of these two compounds; graphite contains two dimensional lattice bonds, while diamond contains three dimensional lattice bonds. The carbon atoms within each layer of graphite contain weaker intermolecular bonds. This allows the layers to slide across each other, making graphite a soft and malleable material.
Various studies have demonstrated that graphite is an excellent mineral with several unique properties. It conducts heat and electricity and retains the highest natural strength and stiffness even in temperatures exceeding 3600°C. This material is self-lubricating and is also resistant to chemicals.
Although there are different forms of carbon, graphite is highly stable under standard conditions. Depending upon its form, graphite is utilized for a wide range of applications.
Graphene
Graphene
A monolayer of carbon atoms having a hexagonal lattice structure and constituting a basic structural element ofgraphite, fullerenes, and carbon nanotubes. Graphene is 2D.
Graphene is the name for an atom-thick honeycomb sheet of carbon atoms. It is the building block for other graphitic materials (since a typical carbon atom has a diameter of about 0.33 nanometers, there are about 3 million layers of graphene in 1 mm of graphite).
Units of graphene are known as nanographene; these are tailored to specific functions and as such their fabrication process is more complicated than that of generic graphene. Nanographene is made by selectively removing hydrogen atoms from organic molecules of carbon and hydrogen, a process called dehydrogenation.
Harder than diamond yet more elestic than rubber; tougher than steel yet lighter than aluminium. Graphene is the strongest known material.
To put this in perspective: if a sheet of cling film (like kitchen wrap film) had the same strength as a pristine monolayer of graphene, it would require the force exerted by a mass of 2000 kg, or a large car, to puncture it with a pencil.
It is expected that, by strengthening standards and creating tailored high-quality materials, graphene will go beyond niche products and applications to broad market penetration by 2025. Then, graphene could be incorporated in ubiquitous commodities such as tyres, batteries and electronics. Graphene has unique properties that exceed those of graphite. Although graphite is often used to reinforce steel, it cannot be utilized as a structural material on its own because of its sheer planes. In contrast, graphene is the strongest material ever found; it is more than 40 times stronger than diamond and more than 300 times stronger than A36 structural steel.
What is the Difference between Graphite and Graphene ?
Since graphite has a planar structure, its electronic, acoustic, and thermal properties are highly anisotropic. This means, phonons pass much more easily along the planes than they do when trying to pass via the planes. However, graphene has very high electron mobility and, like graphite, is a good electrical conductor, due to the occurrence of a free pi (p) electron for each carbon atom.
However, graphene has much higher electrical conductivity than graphite, due to the occurrence of quasiparticles, which are electrons that function as if they have no mass and can travel long distances without scattering. In order to fully realize this high level of electrical conductivity, doping needs to be carried out to overcome the zero density of states which can be visualized at the Dirac points of graphene.
Fullerence
A fullerene is an allotrope of carbon whose molecule consists of carbon atoms connected by single and double bonds so as to form a closed or partially closed mesh, with fused rings of five to seven atoms. The molecule may be a hollow sphere, ellipsoid, tube, or many other shapes and sizes. Graphene (isolated atomic layers of graphite), which is a flat mesh of regular hexagonal rings, can be seen as an extreme member of the family.
Fullerenes with a closed mesh topology are informally denoted by their empirical formula Cn, often written Cn, where n is the number of carbon atoms. However, for some values of n there may be more than one isomer.
The family is named after buckminsterfullerene (C60), the most famous member, which in turn is named after Buckminster Fuller. The closed fullerenes, especially C60, are also informally called buckyballs for their resemblance to the standard ball of association football (“soccer”). Nested closed fullerenes have been named bucky onions. Cylindrical fullerenes are also called carbon nanotubes or buckytubes. The bulk solid form of pure or mixed fullerenes is called fullerite.
Fullerenes had been predicted for some time, but only after their accidental synthesis in 1985 were they detected in nature and outer space. The discovery of fullerenes greatly expanded the number of known allotropes of carbon, which had previously been limited to graphite, diamond, and amorphous carbon such as soot and charcoal. They have been the subject of intense research, both for their chemistry and for their technological applications, especially in materials science, electronics, and nanotechnology.
Activated charcoal (also known as activated carbon) consists of small, black beads or a solid black porous sponge. It is used in water filters, medicines that selectively remove toxins, and chemical purification processes.
Activated Carbon Powder
Activated charcoal is carbon that has been treated with oxygen. The treatment results in highly porous charcoal. These tiny holes give the charcoal a surface area of 300-2,000 m2/g, allowing liquids or gases to pass through the charcoal and interact with the exposed carbon. The carbon adsorbs a wide range of impurities and contaminants, including chlorine, odors, and pigments. Other substances, like sodium, fluoride, and nitrates, are not as attracted to the carbon and are not filtered out.
Since adsorption works by chemically binding the impurities to the carbon, the active sites in the charcoal eventually become filled. Activated charcoal filters become less effective with use and have to be recharged or replaced.
What Activated Charcoal Will and Won’t Filter
The most common everyday use of activated charcoal is to filter water. It improves water clarity, diminishes unpleasant odors, and removes chlorine. It’s not effective for removing certain toxic organic compounds, significant levels of metals, fluoride, or pathogens. Despite persistent urban legend, activated charcoal only weakly adsorbs alcohol and it not an effective means of removal.
It will filter:
Chlorine
Chloramine
Tannins
Phenol
Some drugs
Hydrogen sulfide and some other volatile compounds that cause odors
Small amounts of metals, such as iron, mercury, and chelated copper
It won’t remove:
Ammonia
Nitrates
Nitrites
Fluoride
Sodium and most other cations
Significant amounts of heavy metals, iron, or copper
Significant amounts of hydrocarbons or petroleum distillates
Bacteria, protozoa, viruses, and other microorganisms
Activated Charcoal Effectiveness
Several factors influence the effectiveness of activated charcoal. The pore size and distribution varies depending on the source of the carbon and the manufacturing process. Large organic molecules are absorbed better than smaller ones. Adsorption tends to increase as pH and temperature decrease. Contaminants are also removed more effectively if they are in contact with the activated charcoal for a longer time, so flow rate through the charcoal affects filtration.
Activated Charcoal De-Adsorption
Some people worry that activated charcoal will de-adsorb when the pores become full. While the contaminants on a full filter aren’t released back into the gas or water, used activated charcoal is not effective for further filtration. It is true that some compounds associated with certain types of activated charcoal may leach into the water. For example, some charcoal used in an aquarium might start to release phosphates into the water over time. Phosphate-free products are available.
Recharging Activated Charcoal
Whether or not you can or should recharge activated charcoal depends on its purpose. It’s possible to extend the life of an activated charcoal sponge by cutting or sanding off the outer surface to expose the interior, which might not have fully lost its ability to filter media. Also, you can heat activated charcoal beads to 200 C for 30 minutes. This will degrade the organic matter in the charcoal, which can then be rinsed away, but it won’t remove heavy metals.
For this reason, it’s generally best to just replace the charcoal. You can’t always heat a soft material that has been coated with activated charcoal because it might melt or release toxic chemicals of its own, basically contaminating the liquid or gas you want to purify. The bottom line here is that you possibly could extend the life of activated charcoal for an aquarium, but it’s inadvisable to try to recharge a filter used for drinking water.
Delivery Time & Terms for the following materials :
Sr. no. Item Description Qty. Rate
1 ACTIVATED EXTRUDED CARBON of size 4-5mm length.
Specification:
1. Density in compressed condition ̴ 0.4 kg/cu.cm.
2. Minimum Granule size 3mm DIA.
3. Humidity max. 5% wt/wt.
4. The product shall neither burn or explode at temperature 250 deg and pressure of 300 kg/sq.cm of saturated N₂ + 3H₂
5. Adsorbent power : 38 – 42 %
6.Dust shall be carefully removed from the product. 700 Kgs.
NOTE:-Please send the Datasheet/Catalogue/Specification also mention the Make & Model of your offered product. Same is required with offer for further evaluation
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Coal is primarily used as fuel to generate electric power in the United States. The coal is burned and the heat given off is used to convert water into steam, which drives a turbine. In 2012, about 39 percent of all electricity in the United States was generated by coal-fired power plants, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.
Certain types of coal can also be used for metallurgical processes, like forging steel, smelting metals, or even in smelting sands, which are used to cast metal. Finally, coal can be burned to provide heat for individual homes.
Coal is abundant in the U.S., is relatively inexpensive, and is an excellent source of energy and byproduct raw materials. Because of these factors, domestic coal is the primary source of fuel for electric power plants in the U.S., and will continue to be well into the 21st century. In addition, other U.S. industries continue to use coal for fuel and coke production and there is a large overseas market for high-quality American coal.
Because humans have used coal for centuries, much is known about it. The usefulness of coal as a heat source and the myriad of byproducts that can be produced from coal are well understood. The continued and increasingly large-scale use of coal in the United States and in many other industrialized and developing nations has resulted in known and anticipated hazards to environmental quality and human health. As a result, there is still much to be learned about the harmful attributes of coal and how they may be removed, modified, or avoided to make coal use less harmful to humans and nature. These issues of coal quality have not been examined carefully until recently.
Coal is a sedimentary rock made predominantly of carbon that can be burned for fuel. Coal is readily combustible, black or brownish-black, and has a composition that, including inherent moisture, consists of more than 50 percent by weight and more than 70 percent by volume of carbonaceous material. It is formed from plant remains that have been compacted, hardened, chemically altered, and metamorphosed by heat and pressure over geologic time.
Coal is found all over the world including our country, predominantly in places where forests and marshes existed prehistorically, before being buried and compressed over millions of years. Some of the largest deposits, though, are located in areas of the Appalachian basin in the eastern U.S., the Illinois basin in the mid-continent region, and throughout the Rocky Mountain basins in the western U.S.
What are the types of coal?
There are four major types (or “ranks”) of coal. Rank refers to steps in a slow, natural process called “coalification,” during which buried plant matter changes into an ever denser, drier, more carbon rich, and harder material. The four ranks are:
Anthracite: The highest rank of coal. It is a hard, brittle, and black lustrous coal, often referred to as hard coal, containing a high percentage of fixed carbon and a low percentage of volatile matter.
Bituminous: Bituminous coal is a middle rank coal between subbituminous and anthracite. Bituminous usually has a high heating (Btu) value and is the most common type of coal used in electricity generation in the United States. Bituminous coal appears shiny and smooth when you first see it, but look closer and you may see it has layers.
Subbituminous: Subbituminous coal is black in color and dull (not shiny), and has a higher heating value than lignite.
Lignite: Lignite coal, aka brown coal, is the lowest grade coal with the least concentration of carbon.
Also, there is peat. Peat is not actually coal, but rather the precursor to coal. Peat is a soft organic material consisting of partly decayed plant and, in some cases, deposited mineral matter. When peat is placed under high pressure and heat, it becomes coal.
Different coal types are all minerals and rocks made largely of carbon. This fossil fuel generates ~40% of the world’s electricity and about 25% of the world’s primary energy. However, not all coal used is the same; it comes in different quantity levels of carbon—which dictates the quality of the coal.
Higher quality coal produces less smoke, burns longer, and provides more energy than lower quality coal.
The table below includes the carbon contents, and energy densities of coal. In addition, it states the moisture content before drying, and the amount of volatile content, after it’s dried.
Table 1: Types of Coal
Coal
Dry, Carbon content (%)
Moisture content before drying (%)
Dry, volatile content (%)
Heat Content (MJ/kg)
Anthracite
86-92
7-10
3-14
32-33
Bituminous coal
76-86
8-18
14-46
23-33
Sub-Bituminous coal
70-76
18-38
42-53
18-23
Lignite
65-70
35-55
53-63
17-18
Peat
<60
75
63-69
15
The following is an overview of the different grades of coal, ordered from lowest to highest quality. Please see their main pages to learn more about each type.
What it is used for ?
In 2019, about 539 million short tons (MMst) of coal were consumed in the United States. On an energy content basis, this amount was equal to about 11.3 quadrillion British thermal units (Btu) and to about 11% of total U.S. energy consumption. Although coal use was once common in the industrial, transportation, residential, and commercial sectors, today the main use of coal in the United States is to generate electricity.
The electric power sector accounts for most of U.S. coal consumption.
U.S. coal consumption by consuming sector by amount and percentage share of total in 2019
Electric power—539.4 MMst—91.8%
Industrial total—47.1 MMst—8.0%
Industrial coke plants—17.9 MMst—3.1%
Industrial combined heat and power—11.2 MMst—1.9%
Other industrial—17.9 MMst—3.0%
Commercial—0.9 MMst—less than 1%
Residential and transportation—each less than 1 MMst—less than 1%
U.S. coal consumption peaked in 2007 and declined in most years since then, mainly because of a decline in the use of coal for electricity generation.
1982
● transportation: 0.00 million short tons
● residential and commercial: 8.24 million short tons
● coke plants: 40.91 million short tons
● other industrial: 64.10 million short tons
● electric power: 593.67 million short tons
Read some articles and literatures pet coke and its usage to manufacture activated carbon .
Petroleum coke, also called pet coke or petcoke, is a solid carbon material that resembles coal; it is a product of oil refining
petroleum coke
Would like to have the contact details of equipment manufacturers / suppliers where pet coke is used as raw material alternative to shell Charcoal , Wood Charcoal and Coal
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Sr. #. Description of Item Required Quantity
1. Carbon Molecular Sieve————3600Kg(3.6Tons)
Chemical Name: Activated Carbon > 95% wt/wt
CAS #. C (7440-44-0)
For the Production of pure N2 gas from air by using adsorption process Product Name: MOLSIEVON 3A (Shirasagi MSC-3A) or Equivalent
Specific Gravity (Water=1)2.0-2.1
Pore Size: 3A
Solubility in Water: Insoluble
Shape= Cylinderical, Dia= 2.0-2.5mm, Length= 5mm
Made: Japan/China/Europe OR Equivalent
2. Molecular Sieve——560Kg
Type: 10X Size: 8-12 mesh #
Origin: America/Europe/China or Equivalent
Packing: In Poly lined Hard Fiber/Paper/Composite Drums
3. Molecular Sieve———–420Kg
Type: 13X
Size: 4-8 mesh #
Origin: America/Europe/China or Equivalent
Packing: In Poly lined Hard Fiber/Paper/Composite Drums
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The parameters that indicate the adsorption capacity of activated carbon are:
Iodine value test
1. Iodine value (400 ~ 1300): refers to the amount of iodine adsorbed by activated carbon in 0.02N12 / KL aqueous solution. The iodine value is related to the pore surface area with a diameter greater than 10A. The iodine value is one of the criteria for judge the price of activated carbon.
2. Butane value: Butane value is the amount of butane adsorbed per unit weight of activated carbon after saturated air and butane pass through the carbon bed at a specific temperature and specific pressure.
3. Ash content (6-16): There are two types of ash of activated carbon, one is surface ash and the other is internal ash content. Normally, the ash of activated carbon refers to internal ash.
4. Water content (<5): It is a measure of how much water is contained in carbon, that is, the percentage of the weight of water adsorbed in activated carbon.
5. Hardness: The hardness value refers to the resistance of the granular activated carbon to the decay movement of the steel ball in the RO-TAP instrument. Hardness is an indicator for measuring the mechanical strength of activated carbon.
6. Carbon tetrachloride CTC (%): The carbon tetrachloride value is an indicator of the total pore volume, which is measured with a saturated CCI4 gas flow of zero degrees Celsius through a 25 degree carbon bed. That is, the adsorption function of activated carbon depends on the carbon tetrachloride value. The measurement method is to use activated carbon to adsorb carbon tetrachloride, and the measured result is the adsorption rate of activated carbon. Generally, the highest carbon tetrachloride value of activated carbon is 80. Activated carbon manufacturers in Beijing and Hebei have more than 80% to reach 60%.
7. Molasses value: The molasses value is a method to measure the relative decolorization ability of activated carbon in boiling molasses solution. The molasses value is interpreted as a surface area with a pore diameter greater than 28A. Because molasses is a mixture of multiple components, this parameter must be tested in strict accordance with the instructions. The molasses value is obtained by calculating the ratio of the optical density of the filter by treating the molasses liquid with a standard sample of activated carbon and a sample of activated carbon to be tested.
8. Bulk weight (400-600): Bulk weight is a method of measuring the quality of a specific amount of carbon. By gradually adding activated carbon to a graduated drum to 100cc, and measuring its mass. This value is used to calculate the amount of activated carbon needed to fill a specific adsorption device. Simply put, the bulk weight is the weight of activated carbon per unit volume.
9. Particle density – The particle density is the weight of the particulate carbon per unit volume, excluding the particles and the space between cracks greater than 0.1 mm.
10. Methythioninium Chloride (100-300): The Methythioninium Chloride value refers to the number of milligrams of Methythioninium Chloride absorbed when a solution of 1.0 g of carbon and a concentration of 1.0 mg / L of Methythioninium Chloride reaches equilibrium.
11. Wear value
The wear value is an index for measuring the wear resistance of activated carbon. The wear value of granular activated carbon indicates that the particles reduce the resistance of the particles during the treatment process. It is calculated by determining the ratio of the average diameter of the final particles to the average diameter of the original particles.
The carbonization process is one of the important processes in the process of producing activated carbon by the gas activation method. This process is to heat the raw material in the air and reduce the non-carbon elements to produce the carbonaceous material suitable for the activation process. It is the pre-activation process,also the main preparation and foundation. In the production process of coal-based activated carbon, the carbonization process usually includes carbonization of materials and carbonization tail gas treatment.
carbonizatione quipment of activated carbon
The carbonization process is actually the dry distillation process of the material under low temperature conditions. In this process, the material is gradually heated and heated under a certain low temperature range and the condition of air isolation. The low-molecular substances in the material are first volatilized, and then the coal and coal tar pitch are decomposed and solidified. A series of materials will occur during the entire carbonization process Complex physical changes and chemical changes, of which physical changes are mainly dehydration, degassing and drying processes; chemical changes are mainly two types of reactions, thermal decomposition and thermal polycondensation.
During the thermal decomposition and thermal polycondensation reaction of the material, gas and coal tar are precipitated. The oxygen bonding group of the organic compounds in the material is destroyed, and the oxygen element is precipitated with gases such as Hz0, CO, CO: etc. At the same time, aromatic compounds and cross-linked High-strength carbon molecular structure solid; during the carbonization process, due to the discharge of non-carbon materials such as oxygen and hydrogen during the decomposition at high temperature, the carbon atoms after the loss of oxygen and hydrogen are recombined to form an order with a basic graphite microcrystalline structure The crystals consist of hexagonal carbon atom planes, and their arrangement is irregular, thus forming voids between crystallites. These voids are the initial pores of the carbonized material.
Therefore, the purpose of carbonization is to make the material form a secondary pore structure that is easily activated and to give the mechanical strength required to withstand activation. The requirement for the carbonization of materials is that the appearance of the carbonized material obtained through carbonization must meet certain specifications and shape requirements, the internal structure must have a certain initial pore structure, and at the same time have a high mechanical strength.
The carbonization process can generally be divided into the following stages.
(1) The temperature in the drying stage is below 120 ° C, and the external moisture and internal moisture are released from the raw coal. At this time, the appearance of the raw coal is unchanged.
(2) In the pyrolysis stage, the raw coal starts to decompose and release pyrolysis water to form gaseous products (such as CQ, C02, H2S, etc.). Different coal types have different pyrolysis temperatures, and coal with low metamorphism starts to heat. The solution temperature is also low. Northeast peat is about 100-1600, lignite is about 200-3000C, bituminous coal is about 300-4000C, and anthracite is about 300-450C. Because the molecular structure and generation conditions of coal are quite different, the above pyrolysis temperature is just a relative reference value between different coal types.
(3) The temperature in the carbonization stage is 300-600 degrees Celsius, mainly polycondensation and decomposition reactions, the raw coal largely precipitates volatile matter, and almost all the tar and gas products precipitated in the carbonization process are produced in this stage. Cohesive bituminous coal gradually softens and melts at this stage to form a colloidal body with three phases of gas, liquid, and solid, and then turns into semi-coke through the processes of flow, polycondensation, and solidification; non-adhesive forms needle-like semi-coke or lump Shaped half-focus.
The final temperature and rate of carbonization are the main operating conditions controlled by the carbonization process. For different coal types, the tar formation process ends at around 550 ° C. A lot of laboratory research and industrial production experience have shown that 600 ℃ is the best final carbonization temperature. If the temperature is too low, the carbonization product cannot form sufficient mechanical strength. If the temperature is too high, the graphite crystallite structure in the carbonization product will be promoted. Ordering, reducing the gap between crystallites, affecting the activation pore formation process. The carbonization heating rate has a great influence on the yield of carbonized products.
The high heating rate can make the material precipitate more tar and coal gas and reduce the yield of carbonized material. When the heating rate is reduced, the material is heated for a long time in the low temperature region, and the pyrolysis reaction has a strong selectivity. The initial pyrolysis breaks the weaker bonds in the material molecule, and parallel and sequential thermal polycondensation reactions occur, forming a The structure with high thermal stability, thereby reducing the yield of volatiles of the thermal decomposition products at high temperature stage, and obtaining a higher yield of solid carbonized products (ie carbonized materials).
The quality of carbonized materials in the carbonization process is mainly evaluated by volatile matter, coke index, water capacity and strength. The volatility of qualified carbonized materials is 7% -18%, the characteristic index of coke yesterday is 1-3, the water capacity is 15% -25%, and the strength of the ball disc is 90%.
Because the measurement of the above indicators requires a certain amount of time, and during the commissioning of the production site, it is often necessary to quickly adjust the process parameters according to the quality of the carbonized material, so the quality of the carbonized material can also be roughly evaluated through the senses. Qualified carbonized materials should have a smooth, crack-free surface, high strength, and consistent color of the material.
Carbonization process of internal heating rotary furnace
The carbonization process of activated carbon
1) Carbonaceous material flow: the shaped particles (raw material) are directly lifted into the charging chamber of the rotary kiln by the conveyor, and fall into the drum by gravity, and are brought to the board along the spiral movement in the drum. Move in the direction of the burner. The material first goes through the preheating and drying stage with a temperature of 200 ° C, and then enters the carbonization stage of 350-550 ° C. During this process, the carbon particles come into contact with the hot air stream for carbonization to discharge moisture and volatile matter, and finally exported through the export port .
(2) Gas flow: after the tail gas of the furnace is burned in the combustion chamber, a part of the tail gas returns to the furnace head, enters the drum and directly contacts with the countercurrent carbon particles for carbonization; the other part enters the waste heat boiler for heat exchange. The flue gas is discharged from the chimney. Part of the steam generated by the waste heat boiler is sent to the activation process and heat exchange station, and part of it is returned to the furnace head and mixed with the tail gas to enter the carbonization furnace.
Activated carbon is made of high-quality coal, wood chips, fruit shells, coconut shells and other materials, and is refined by advanced process equipment. The production process of activated carbon is roughly divided into: carbonization → cooling → activation → washing and other refined processes. The shape of the finished product of activated carbon is roughly divided into: granule, columnar, powdery, etc.
Activated carbon is a processed, porous version of carbon that has many different uses, especially adsorption and chemical reaction needs for water and gas purification. Because activated carbon particles are so porous, they have very expansive surface areas tucked into the holes and tunnels all over their surface.
These areas can be filled with other materials for other purposes as well. For instance, in water purification, silver is mixed into the carbon pores in order to filter contaminants like mercury and organic arsenic from water for domestic drinking purposes.
Because carbon is produced from charcoal through a relatively inexpensive and simple series of activation processes, it can be had in great quantities for many applications.
The Carbon Manufacturing Process – How to Make Activated Carbon
The production process of activated, or active, carbon exists in two forms. A carbonaceous source, which can exist as coal, peat, or any organic carbonaceous material is carbonized, which means the pure carbon is extracted by a heating method known as pyrolysis. Once the material is carbonized, it needs to be oxidized, or treated with oxygen, either by exposure to CO2 or steam, or by an acid-base chemical treatment.
Carbonization is the process of taking a carbon-rich piece of material and converting it to pure carbon through heating. This heating process, called pyrolysis, comes from an ancient technique for making charcoal. Very dense carbonaceous material is used in the beginning, because the end result needs to be extra-porous for activated carbon purposes.
Carbon-rich material is placed in a small (relative to the amount of material) furnace and cooked at extreme temperatures topping 2000 degrees Celsius. What remains is usually 20-30 percent of the beginning weight, and consists of mostly carbon and a small percentage of inorganic ash. This is very similar to “coking,” a method of producing coke from charcoal, a type of carbon-based fuel.
Once the porous form of carbon is produced, it needs to undergo oxidization so it can be adsorbent. This can occur in one of two ways: gas or chemical treatment.
How activated cardbon is producsed ?
all carbonaceous materials can be converted into activated carbon,materials can be converted into activated carbon, although the properties of the final product will be different, depending on the nature of the raw material used, the nature of the activating agent, and the conditions of the carbonization and activation processes.
During the carbonization process, most of the noncarbon elements such as oxygen, hydrogen, and nitrogen are eliminated as volatile gaseous species by the pyrolytic decomposition of the starting material. The residual elementary carbonstarting material. The residual elementary carbon atoms group themselves into stacks of flat, aromatic sheets cross-linked in a random manner. These aromatic sheets are irregularly arranged, which leaves free interstices. These interstices give rise to pores, which make activated carbons excellent adsorbents.
During carbonization these pores are filled with the tarry matter or the products of decomposition or at least blocked partially by disorganized carbon. This pore structure in carbonized char is further developed andcarbon. This pore structure in carbonized char is further developed and enhanced during the activation process, which converts the carbonized raw material into a form that contains the greatest possible number of randomly distributed pores of various sizes and shapes, giving rise to an extended and extremely high surface area of the product.
The activation of the char is usually carried out in an atmosphere of air, CO2, or steam in the temperature range of 800°C to 900°C. This results in the oxidation of some of the regions within the char in preference to others, so that as combustion proceeds, a preferential etching takes place. This results in the development of a large internal surface, which in some cases may be as high as 2500 m2/g.
Gas Treatment
The activizing of carbon can be done directly through heating in a chamber while gas is pumped in. This exposes it to oxygen for oxidization purposes. When oxidized, the active carbon is susceptible to adsorption, the process of surface bonding for chemicals—the very thing that makes activated carbon so good for filtering waste and toxic chemicals out of liquids and gases. For physical gas treatment, the carbonization pyrolysis process must take place in an inert environment at 600-900 degrees Celsius. Then, an oxygenated gas is pumped into the environment and heated between 900 and 1200 degrees Celsius, causing the oxygen to bond to the carbon’s surface.
Chemical Treatment
In chemical treatment, the process is slightly different from the gas activization of carbon. For one, carbonization and chemical activation occur simultaneously. A bath of acid, base or other chemicals is prepared and the material submerged. The bath is then heated to temperatures of 450-900 degrees Celsius, much less than the heat needed for gas activation. The carbonaceous material is carbonized and then activated, all at a much quicker pace than gas activization. However, some heating processes cause trace elements from the bath to adsorb to the carbon, which can result in impure or ineffective active carbon.
Post Treatment Activated Carbon
Following oxidization, activated carbon can be processed for many different kinds of uses, with several classifiably different properties. For instance, granular activated carbon (GAC) is a sand-like product with bigger grains than powdered activated carbon (PAC), and each are used for different applications. Other varieties include impregnated carbon, which includes different elements such as silver and iodine, and polymer-coated carbons.
How Does Activated Carbon Work?
Physical adsorption is the primary means by which activated carbon works to remove contaminants from liquid or vapor streams. Carbon’s large surface area per unit weight allows for contaminants to adhere to the activated carbon media.
The large internal surface area of carbon has several attractive forces that work to attract other molecules. These forces manifest in a similar manner as gravitational force; therefore, contaminants in water are adsorbed (or adhered) to the surface of carbon from a solution as a result of differences in adsorbate concentration in the solution and in the carbon pores.
Physical adsorption occurs because all molecules exert attractive forces, especially molecules at the surface of a solid (pore walls of carbon), and these surface molecules seek to adhere to other molecules.
The dissolved adsorbate migrates from the solution through the pore channels to reach the area where the strongest attractive forces are located. Contaminants adsorb because the attraction of the carbon surface for them is stronger than the attractive forces that keep them dissolved in solution. Those compounds that exhibit this preference to adsorb are able to do so when there is enough energy on the surface of the carbon to overcome the energy needed to adsorb the contaminant.
Contaminants that are organic, have high molecular weights, and are neutral, or non-polar, in their chemical nature are readily adsorbed on activated carbon. For water adsorbates to become physically adsorbed onto activated carbon, they must both be dissolved in water so that they are smaller than the size of the carbon pore openings and can pass through the carbon pores and accumulate.
Besides physical adsorption, chemical reactions can occur on a carbon surface. One such reaction is chlorine removal from water involving the chemical reaction of chlorine with carbon to form chloride ions.
The most important application of activated carbon
The most important application of activated carbon adsorption where large amounts of activated carbons are being consumed and where the consumption is ever increasing is the purification of air and water. There are two types of adsorption systems for the purification of air.
One is the purification of air for immediate use in inhabited types of adsorption systems for the purification of air. One is the purification of air for immediate use in inhabited spaces, where free and clean air is a requirement. The other system prevents air pollution of the atmosphere from industrial exhaust streams.
The former operates at pollutant concentrations below 10 ppm, generally about 2 to 3 ppm. As the concentration of the pollutant is low, the adsorption filters can work for a long time and the spent carbon can be discarded, because regeneration may be expensive.
Air pollution control requires a different adsorption setup to deal with larger concentrations of the pollutants.
The saturated carbon needs to be regenerated by steam, air, or nontoxic gaseousregenerated by steam, air, or nontoxic gaseous treatments. These two applications require activated carbons with different porous structures. The carbons required for the purification of air in inhabited spaces should be highly microporous to affect greater adsorption at lower concentrations. In the case of activated carbons for air pollution control, the pores should have higher adsorption capacity in the concentration range 10 to 500 ppm.
Marketing of activated carbon
Market The global activated carbon industry is estimated to be around 1.1 million metric ton. Demand for virgin activated carbon is expected to rise by around 10% annually through 2014, worldwide. The U.S is the largest market, which will also pace global growth based on anticipated new federal regulations mandating mercury removal at coal- fired power plants. Nearly 80% of the total active carbon is consumed forfired power plants.
Nearly 80% of the total active carbon is consumed for liquid-phase applications, and the gas-phase applications consume about 20% of the total production. Because the active carbon application for the treatment of waste water is picking up, the production of active carbons is always increasing.
The consumption of activecarbon is the highest in the U.S. and Japan, which together consume two to four times more active carbons than European and other Asian countries. The per capita consumption of active carbons per year is 0.5 kg in Japan, 0.4 kg in the U.S., 0.2 kg in Europe, and 0.03 kg in the rest of the world. This is due to the fact that Asian countries by and large have not started using active carbons for water and air pollution control purposes in large quantities.
activated carbon cloth (ACC) is a pioneer in cutting-edge textile technology through its activated carbon cloth (ACC) for medical, defense, and industrial applications.
Activated Carbon Cloth
Features & Benefits
Flexzorb® is 100% activated carbon and is more effective at adsorption compared to other carbon loaded materials which have a lower activated carbon content.
Flexzorb® is available in woven and knitted formats and can also be tailored to your requirements by various activity levels, weights and thicknesses. In addition to this, value added composites can be created by laminating the cloth to other materials or impregnating the cloth with chemical treatments.
Flexzorb® has a microporous structure which results in rapid adsorption kinetics and the capability to adsorb to a higher level of purity. Flexzorb® is also suitable for use in applications where there is a high humidity as its adsorption capacity is less adversely affected by moisture. The activated carbon cloth can also be custom-manufactured to comprise a mesoporous structure to adsorb larger molecules if required.
Due to its microporous structure, Flexzorb® activated carbon cloth has an extremely large surface area. To put its capabilities into perspective, just 1g of Flexzorb® activated carbon cloth has the surface area of over half the size of a football pitch. This, combined with the strong electrostatic forces within the cloth, enables the cloth to be highly efficient at adsorbing both liquids and gases.
Flexzorb® has been tested by the UK’s Health Protection Agency and have been proven to be both antiviral and virucidal (when tested against surrogate virus MS2-Coliphage).
Markets and Applications
Wound Care
The inclusion of Flexzorb® activated carbon cloth (ACC) considerably enhances the efficacy of both advanced and active wound dressings. The antimicrobial properties of Flexzorb® can be further enhanced by a unique impregnation process which produces a dispersion of nano and micro particles of metallic silver – one of the most effective biocides known to man. Other impregnations are also possible.
As well as possessing antimicrobial properties, Flexzorb® also enables the wound to heal due to its naturally permeable properties which enhance the breathability of the cloth. The Cloth Division has the manufacturing capability to produce the entire wound dressing product containing activated carbon cloth including procedures such as pouching, sterilization and labeling. Chemviron Carbon Cloth Division also produces cloth used in Negative Pressure Wound Therapy (NPWT) devices where wound exudates are collected due to its ability to adsorb odor.
Chemviron Carbon’s Cloth Division possesses the ISO 13485 standard for the manufacture of medical devices.
Ostomy
Flexzorb’s high performance to size ratio is ideal for use as a filter for vented ostomy bags. To help improve the quality of life for ostomy patients, Flexzorb® very effectively removes all odor and also controls the release of gases thus preventing ballooning (too slow an air flow) or pancaking (where the air flow is too fast).
Defense
In the defense sector, Flexzorb® is used where protection to a wide range of chemical, biological or nuclear agents is required (i.e. protective clothing, filters and decontamination wipes). Flexzorb® offers the most effective protection on the market today with low physiological burden at low carbon weights.
Environmental Air and Industrial Products
The opportunities to use Flexzorb® to support a vast range of industrial products and manufacturing processes are limitless. Due to the numerous attributes of Flexzorb® it can be used for a wide range of filtration applications that include air conditioning, catalyst media, emission control, purification filters, solvent recovery, VOC filtration, and water filtration to name a few. Flexzorb® activated carbon cloth can also be laminated to other support media to allow pleating of the cloth and is therefore useful for various industrial filtration purposes.
I would like to inquire about Powdered Activated Carbon used for the removal of geosmin during water treatment. Please provide your prices and lead periods to Cape Town South Africa.
Greetings. Let me to introduce myself, I’m Hodaith Mohaidat – mechanical engineer at Alokab Industrial Development company, We are specialized in industrial development & investment, currently, we are working on Activated Carbon project, where we will use Anthracite Coal as raw materials.
We want the activated carbon production line especially the Rotary activated kiln, our business applications field is : oil & gas, water treatment.
Our external capacity : 1,500ton/year of activated carbon.
Now ! we hope you send to us an official quotation for the Rotary Activation Kiln with specifications, power consumptions, …etc. (please mail me to discuss more details).
Thanks for your cooperation, we are waiting your kind reply.
I hope you can help me, I am looking for a supplier for extruded honeycomb carbon impregnated with KOH for our consumer product we are designing, do you produce these materials?
If so do you have standard sizes and shapes? and can you produce custom designs?
if you answer yes to these questions could you organise some samples to be sent to me in Australia?
Coconut shell based activated carbons has Lower Ash Content, Higher Amount of Micropores, Higher Iodine Number, Excellent Hardness and it is very efficient in the removal of small size organic impurities.
Activated carbon from coconut shell has predominantly pores in micro pore range. Almost 85-90% surface area of coconut shell activated carbon exists as micro-pores. These small pores match the size of contaminant molecules in drinking water and therefore are very effective in trapping them.
Macro-pores are considered as an access point to micro-pores. Meso-pores do not usually play an important role in the adsorption unless the surface area of these pores is large, 400 m2/g or more. The predominance of micro-pores in coconut shell carbon gives it tight structure and provides good mechanical strength and hardness and also high resistance to resist attrition or wearing away by friction.
Coconut shell-based AC has the most micropores. Micropores are defined as pores less than 20-angstrom units (two nm) in diameter. Coconut shell based carbons are excellent for Point of Use (POU) and Point of Entry (POE) applications because of lower ash content and excellent microporus structure.
The very large internal surface areas characterized by microporosity along with high hardness and low dust make these coconut shell carbons particularly attractive for water and critical air applications as well as point-of-use water filters and respirators.
Coconut Activated Carbon Hardness Number is around 98 but Bituminous Coal Activated carbons hardness number is only 85 – 90.
Some of other features which carbon industries, see as a great advantage in favour of coconut carbon are as follows:
Coconut is a renewable source of carbon
Coconuts grow throughout the year, with harvesting generally occurring 3-4 times in a year
Pellet activated carbon produced from coal, wood and coconut shell, either by high temperature steam activation or chemical activation under stringent quality control. With low ash content, large surface area, high mechanical hardness, high pore volume and chemical stability.
By varying manufacturing conditions, internal pore structures are created that impart unique adsorption properties specific to each product type. The choice of product for a specific application will vary due to differing impurities and process conditions.
Pelletized activated carbon is created by extruding activated carbon into cylindrical shaped pellets with diameters ranging from 0.8 to 5 mm. Their high activity and surface area make it ideal for many vapor phase applications. The uniformity of its shape makes it particularly useful in applications where low-pressure drop is a consideration.
Pelletized activated carbon provides lower pressure drop than granular activated carbon in fixed-bed purification of gases and vapors. The adsorptive capacity of pelletized carbon makes it ideal for removing a variety of contaminants from air and gas streams. Pellets are also an environmentally responsible product that can be reactivated through thermal oxidation and used multiple times for the same application.
Applications include gasoline vapor recovery for automotive applications, solvent recovery, air purification, odor control, catalysis and removal of corrosive gases. Pelletized activated carbons are extremely hard, durable and low in dust content. They are particularly well suited for recovery of solvents and for evaporative emissions controls.
The pellets are available in different diameters and chemistry to meet a variety of application requirements. Pelletized activated carbons specifically designed for gasoline vapor recovery. Customers can select activated carbon products with the proven physical properties and design flexibility needed to achieve optimum performance in their own canister systems.
The features and benefits of pelletized automotive carbons include the highest working capacity, low density, low flow restriction, low diurnal emissions, and superior durability.
Solvent Recovery, Air Purification, Acid Gas-Odor Control – Pelletized carbons are used for the control of organic pollutants in a variety of off-gas applications for environmental purposes. They are particularly well suited for use in solvent recovery systems where cyclohexanone is the solvent, and in systems with other solvents that see traces of heavy components that shorten the bed life of other types of carbons. They are also
used to purify many types of industrial and hydrocarbon gases in fixed beds or pressure swing adsorption applications such as natural gas purification and helium recovery.
Honeycomb-like activated carbon is a new type of absorption material made by high quality powder activated carbon and binder. Honeycomb carbon block has a large amount of through holes from one end to another end in a cubic or cylindrical shaped block. Honeycomb carbon filter is a type of high effective carbon filter to remove unpleasant odors, particulates and other pollutants.
This kind of structure gives low pressure drop, high mechanical strength and more contact surface with gas. Honeycomb carbon block is mainly used for vapor phase pollutants removal. Now it is widely use for air purification system which is high flow rate, low-concentration VOC pollutant air streams
Consider the following features and advantages of using Honeycomb carbon block over traditional pellet and granular activated carbons:
1. The honeycomb structure has a pore size range of 10-2,000 Angstroms and a BET surface area range of ~200-3,000 sq.m/gm!
2. The honeycomb carbon block is desorbed with liquid ring vacuum pumps and a small quantity of heated condensation compound free air – the adsorbed compounds are stripped!
3. The pressure drop at a given linear gas velocity for Honeycomb carbon block containing 200 cpsi (cells per square inch) is 11 times lower than densely packed 4mm pellet extruded activated carbon!
4. Honeycomb structures may be pressed into cubes, round cylinders, oval, square and rectangular cylinders!
5. The shorter distances for internal diffusion mass transfer for honeycomb carbon leads to faster saturation and desorption rates and thus shorter cycle times!
6. Honeycomb adsorbent can be purged of fuel compounds and solvents using a vacuum above 100 mbar!
7. Honeycomb carbon has a much higher specific surface area compared to other carbon structures!
8. Honeycomb carbon block has a lower level of carbon attrition and dust-related problems due to carbon attrition are minimized!
9. Honeycomb carbon block is available in 100, 200, 300 or 400 cpsi!
10. Honeycomb block carbon is only 15% more expensive than 4mm pellets and has 3 times the surface area for adsorption!!
11. The honeycomb shape core mesh can be paperboard, plastic and aluminum material. The paperboard core mesh is the most economical products, but it is not reusable. The plastic and aluminum honeycomb core meshes are reusable and durable.
12. Honeycomb shape could be cubes, round cylinders, oval, square and rectangular cylinders.
13. Honeycomb carbon has a higher external surface area of adsorbent compare to granular carbon,it has 2X bigger contact areas for adsorption if using 100 CPSI, 4X if using 300 CPSI honeycomb.
The Applications Of Honeycomb Activated Carbon
Activated carbon is able to remove undesirable or harmful gaseous components from air streams. The molecules collect on the relatively large internal surfaces of the honeycomb. These honeycombs are also used for absorbing odour molecules. Put granular activate carbon into the honeycomb shape core mesh, and then cover the polypropylene grid mesh on it. Surrounded by the paperboard, plastic, aluminum or galvanized frames, the honeycomb carbon filter has a rigid and firm structure. The granular activated carbon can be coconut shell activated carbon, wood activated carbon and coal activated carbons. The shapes of activated carbon is commonly irregular and column shapes.
The pollutants can be removed by honeycomb activated carbon: benzene, carbon tetrachloride, acetone, ethanol, aether, carbinol, acetic acid, ethyl ester, cinnamene, chlorine, phosgene, foul gas, butane, methanol, styrene, malodorous gases and other acids can be used to remove carbon monoxide, carbon monoxide, carbon tetrachloride, benzene, formaldehyde, Alkaline gas.