What are the 20 Breathtaking Facts about Activated Carbon: The Purifier that 'Adsorbs'

INTRODUCTION:

Think about modern domestic water purifiers and with all other filters like reverse osmosis (RO), ultraviolet (UV), we can never overlook the presence of an Activated Carbon AC cartridge in the machine. Why is something as ordinary as Activated Charcoal or Activated Carbon (AC), so important in water purification? Or even what is Activated Charcoal? Before we could find the answer and some facts, including health benefits of Activated Carbon, it would be necessary to understand the basic difference between Coal, Charcoal and Activated Carbon which is also known as Activated Charcoal. These are all forms of carbon but attain different properties, according to how they are processed, both industrially or at home. 

Difference between Coal, Charcoal and Activated Charcoal:

Coal is formed from organic matter like trees and animal remains, which are buried into the layers of the earth and subjected to tremendous and constant pressure of the earth's crust, from thousands of years. The more the natural vegetation or animal remains in wet areas get pressurized, their biodegradation and oxidation reduces due to the pressure of mud and the presence of  acidic water beneath deeper layers of the earth. These buried remains turn into carbon and form a substance known as ‘peat’. Peat is mined from coal reserves, vastly found in different geographical regions on the earth, which is refined into coal later and used as a fuel.  

Charcoal is a man made substance known as ‘char’, which is carbon devoid of any impurities.

 Images of Coal, Charcoal and
Activated Charcoal. 

Charcoal is made from very slow burning of wood in low levels of oxygen. This leads to the carbon present in the wood to react with the oxygen to form carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide. A process that helps to remove many impurities and gases  like methane and hydrogen, to achieve a substance having good burning capacity, with less smoke emission and steady combustion. Charcoal is still used in many countries for everyday cooking and to keep homes warm in winter season. The barbecue grill cannot be left out when talking about Charcoal. 

Activated charcoal is also known as activated carbon, has a very high surface area due to its treatment with oxygen. On the other hand, regular charcoal is wood or other carbon content that is burnt in low oxygen levels. Having said that, activated charcoal due to its treatment with oxygen becomes more porous or microporous, and develops more surface area, therefore promoting more adsorption of impurities per gram of this substance. The Adsorption process is different from the process of ‘absorption’, as the former attracts molecules of any other substance or chemical to settle on its surface whereas in the latter, the molecules of a chemical dissolves or permeates into another substance.

20 FACTS ABOUT ACTIVATED CARBON: 

Activated Carbon 

1. It's a very interesting fact that one gram of activated charcoal has a surface area as high as 3000 meter square (32000 sq ft.) 
2. The wood, sawdust, coconut shells and other carbonaceous raw material are first burnt in an inert atmosphere. This removes all water and volatile substances, leaving a residue is known as 'char', that burns at a higher temperature than wood. With higher calorific value, charcoal burns steadily with less or no smoke and is used as a fuel for cooking. Charcoal becomes  'activated', when it is further treated with steam, carbon dioxide or oxygen, while being exposed to very high heating temperatures. This process makes the charcoal highly porous, turning it into a comparatively much purer form of carbon, with  immense surface area. This material is called Activated Carbon(AC) or Activated Charcoal. 
3. The discovery of charcoal dates back to 400 BC. References have been found regarding the history of medical use of charcoal. The Hindus were aware of its curative properties, they also used charcoal for water purification. The Phoenicians used charred barrels to store drinking water during long sea voyages to keep it clean for a longer period. In about mid of 3000 BC, the Egyptians used charcoal in the process of melting and blending two different metals, but they concentrated more of its antibacterial properties and discovered that the charcoal or charred wood does not decompose, when left around the water surrounding banks of the river Nile. They also used it for embalming, a process to preserve dead bodies from decaying, at the time of burial. 
4. In the year 1776, a Russian chemist, by the name of Johan Lowitz, discovered, that charcoal can actually decolorize any liquid in which it is added. This became the base of more research towards ‘activating’ the charcoal. The decolorizing properties of charcoal were applied to adsorb the color from liquid sugar, before it was formed into crystals, which made it  look clear and appealing to the customers' eyes. 
5. Carbon activation actually began to be used as an antidote for ingested poison like arsenic. In the later part of the 19th century, carbon or charcoal was used in removing unwanted color from food products or to remove smell to make them better for sale. 
6. Gas masks or respirators use activated charcoal since the late 19th century. A gas mask purifies the air by Gas Mask evading hazardous gases, chemicals, dust particles etc. making it safe and clean for respiration. It allows the clean, purified air to pass through the mask a person breathes. Even today, gas masks are used by soldiers during chemical attacks or by chemical industry workers, who deal in processing of hazardous chemicals or exposed to poisonous gases and toxic particles, on regular basis. 
7. There is a very important medical application of Activated Carbon, which comes from its most significant quality; its rich micropores. The striking fact is that, if AC is consumed by humans, it will never dissolve or get digested. Instead, the micropores carrying negative charges will start attracting the positively charged molecules in the gut area, preventing them from getting absorbed by the body's digestive tract. These can be toxins or chemicals. All these impurities combined with the active carbon particles are later eliminated through stools. Hence, activated charcoal acts as an effective detoxifier and also used as a supportive medicine for removing poison from the body by medical experts. 
8. Activated charcoal is a very good hypoallergenic antibacterial cleansing agent for skin. A single stick of AC is so spreading, that it can cover the complete human body. Applying activated charcoal helps eliminate skin infections. It extracts dirt, bacteria and other impurities from the skin, leaving it glowing. It is also effective in healing acne and pimples. 
9. Activated charcoal can absorb body odor, that's why many AC based deodorants are present in the market. It is also used to absorb any kind of smell. 
10. AC is very helpful if there are asthmatic patient at home. It is also present in moisture control kits. Talking about modern day usage of Activated Charcoal, it is the best alternative to room fresheners to get rid of VOC (Volatile Organic Compounds) or HFCs Hydrofluorocarbons like aerosols, refrigerants, gases from air conditioning systems etc. To elaborate, it can purify the air in our homes without any equipment, just by adsorbing almost any kind of odor, like smell from paint, smoke, pets, certain cosmetics, shoes, after domestic pest-control treatment, dead skin flakes from pets and more. AC also helps to keep away moisture, mildew and molds from rooms, furniture and home appliances. 
11. AC if applied to the teeth can help in cleansing bacteria, and whitening them. Hence, AC based toothpaste are very popular nowadays. It is a good to know fact that activated charcoal can be made at home.  
12. Activated charcoal may be administered under medical supervision, before a poisonous substance gets digested, that is within an hour of consuming the poisonous substance. The amount of AC given to a patient as an oral dose should be 1gm/kg of their body weight. 
13. Talking about health benefits, activated charcoal administered medically, helps to sponge up the urea and other toxins from the patient's body, obviating excess load over the kidneys to filter a lot of impurities thus aiding their proper function as diseased kidneys cannot eliminate all impurities from the patient's body. 
14. It is intriguing that activated charcoal is included in the list of essential medicines (medicines that are safe and appropriate for medical use) by  World Health Organization(WHO). Activated charcoal powder if consumed in the form of capsules can help eliminate gas from the intestine and prevent bloating. 
15. It has immense usage in the water filtration industry. Activated charcoal purifies water by attracting certain impurities like bacteria, viruses and chemicals and also heavy metals like nickel, cadmium, zinc lead and chromium present in water, but their adsorption reduces in time with the accumulation of these metallic impurities on the AC particles. These days, carbon cartridges are used in water purifying machines used at homes as well. 
16. GAC, or Granular Activated Carbon is another  loosely packed powdered form of AC, that is majorly used in waste water treatment in various chemicals manufacturing units and tanning industries. GAC limits the contamination, before the water is allowed to go back to the lakes, rivers and other water bodies. This water, if left untreated, may harm the environment and aquatic life. 
17. Activated Carbon has immense applications in the present era. Especially when the air that we breathe; the water that we drink and use for our day today needs; the water that is used in agriculture; horticulture and aquaculture, is intensely polluted and needs robust techniques for their purification. 
18. Though activated carbon is mostly derived from coal, bone char, wood, peat, petroleum coke etc. these are all non-renewable sources. Recent researches have come up with alternatives like biomass and almost any organic substance that is more carbonaceous, can be used to produce activated carbon. 
19. Biomass wastes like Coffee grounds, coconut shells, husks, fruit seeds, even discarded wastes like tires  Charcoal Kiln  of vehicles, remains of the marine plants and animals, have revealed to possess potentially  higher carbon content. Presently, some of these waste materials are already being used as a substitute to charcoal for producing activated carbon, eventually turning them into excellent alternative for different industries, averting their full dependence on non-renewable sources, to cater the requirements of charcoal.  
20. The Activated carbon industry is on the rise in terms of future market growth. The Asia-Pacific region due to its industrial development is a huge market available. Activated carbon market is predicted to reach USD 16.44 billion in 2028, a CAGR of 8.8% between 2021-2028. 

Water Treatment Plant

CONCLUSION: 

With all its tremendous benefits to health and life as a whole. Activated carbon is a magical substance. The visible effects of air pollution are raising alarms among the governments of various countries globally, to focus on the quality of air and water. A constant emphasis is given that every country should take precautions to prevent its citizens from the upsurge of respiratory diseases that are caused by inhaling polluted air and others that are caused by consuming unhygienic and contaminated drinking water. To keep this in place, countries around the world today, are in immense need of air purification systems or equipments, which could be fitted in homes, office buildings and even on open streets, where there is excessive traffic load and the air quality index mostly indicate high levels of smoke emission, smog or Particulate Matter(PM) are present in the air. People globally are cautious about the water they consume and prefer to use filtered water at homes and even during travelling. Therefore, the need for water purification systems is in great demand. However, more dependence on the non-renewable sources must be eliminated to prevent the coal in reserves and wood in order to maintain a balance in the ecosystem.