Activated Carbon in Water Treatment

Water is a huge part of manufacturing industries. The water used in the manufacturing industries can get contaminated during the process and needs to be treated before it' s released into the environment. Likewise, some industries need water to be treated before it can be used for manufacturing. Activated carbon is a powerful adsorbent used prolifically throughout water purification efforts to remove contaminants. While activated carbon can be used in a wide range of water treatment applications, it is a critical tool used throughout municipal and industrial water treatment facilities to treat drinking water, wastewater, and municipal water for process use.

The unique, porous structure and vast surface area of activated carbon, combined with attraction forces, allows activated carbon to capture and hold various types of materials onto its surface. Activated carbon comes in many forms and varieties. It is produced by processing a carbonaceous material, most often coal, wood, or coconut husks, in a high temperature environment (such as a rotary kiln) in order to activate the carbon and create the highly porous surface structure.

Activated carbon is one of the most used products in the water treatment industry. It is extremely porous with a large surface area, which makes it an efficient adsorbent material. Activated carbon belongs to group of porous carbon materials that have high adsorption capacity and reactivation capability. Many substances are used as a base material to produce AC. The most common of those used in water purification are coconut shell, wood, anthracite and coal.

1. Wastewater treatment facilities

Activated carbon is also employed in both municipal and industrial wastewater treatment facilities. The effluent discharged, either as municipal wastewater, or the discharge from an industrial process, can contain a variety of components that must be removed before they are discharged into waterways or reused. In these settings, activated carbon helps to protect waterways from contaminants such as pesticides, fuels and various solvents, to name a few. Here again, activated carbon captures the targeted components for removal, rendering the water sufficient for discharge or its intended reuse application.

2. Process water

In addition to dedicated water treatment facilities, many industrial facilities may host their own on-site operation to treat incoming municipal water for use in their specific industrial process. Process water used in the production of beverages, pharmaceutical products and the like, must often meet highly strict requirements so as not to damage equipment or result in an inferior product. Process water applications commonly rely on activated carbon to ensure that water quality meets the requirements of its intended use. For all of these water treatment applications, activated carbon can be employed in a number of ways. In each setting, activated carbon may be used alone, or in combination with other treatment methods, such as UV disinfection and/or particulate filtration systems.

3. Additional water treatment uses

It' s worth noting that while activated carbon is a key component in large-scale water treatment facilities, it can also extend to small-scale and POU applications as well. Activated carbon helps to keep aquatic environments free of contaminants that could harm inhabitants. A variety of in-home water filters such as those found in refrigerators, or that can be affixed to faucets, also rely on activated carbon to purify water.

Cost Savings When Reactivate

Activated carbon can be regenerated, meaning that spent carbon can be processed to be reused; the adsorbed components can be desorbed and the spent carbon reactivated[6], allowing it to be reused repeatedly. Not all activated carbons are reactivated (powdered activated carbon is typically disposed of). Reactivation, however, is an attractive feature because it costs significantly less than purchasing virgin activated carbon and also results in a lower carbon footprint. It takes much less energy to reactivate carbon than it does to produce virgin carbon.

Depending on the location and capacity requirements of a treatment facility, on-site reactivation may offer economic benefits. Remote or isolated operations may find that the shipping costs required to transport spent carbon to a commercial reactivation facility will outweigh the cost of an on-site reactivation operation.

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Activated carbon materials have specific effects on air purification due to their unique structure, but there may also be differences between different materials and pore sizes. Contact us and we will provide you with products that are more suitable for you.

High Quality Filtered Water Medium With Various Specifications Of Activated Carbon