What are activated carbon columns?
Activated carbon columns are typically made from coal or coconut shell base. It is small cylindrical carbon with millions of microporous on the surface, which are used for purification and filtration of various substances such as air, water and mines.
How are activated carbon columns made?
The production of activated carbon columns typically involves several steps, including:
- Firstly, the raw coal is pulverized to a certain fineness (generally more than 95% passes through 180 mesh);
- Add a certain amount of binder (commonly used binder is coal pitch tar, sulfite pulp waste liquid, molasses, starch solution, carboxymethyl cellulose, etc.) and water (when catalytic activation method is used, simultaneously add a certain amount of catalyst) kneading at a certain temperature for a certain time;
- After the added binder, water and coal powder are fully infiltrated and dispersed evenly, they are extruded into charcoal rods under a certain pressure by a molding machine with a certain diameter extrusion die;
- The charcoal strips are air-dried and then carbonized, and the carbonized carbonized materials are screened into qualified carbonized materials, which are added to the activation furnace for activation;
- After the activated activated material is screened and packaged, it becomes the finished product of columnar activated carbon;
- When sieving the activated material, there will be undersieves, which can be used to produce by-products and can be recycled. The particles of the undersieves are used to produce crushed granular activated carbon products, and the powder parts of the undersieves are milled to produce powdered activated carbon products;
- Columnar activated carbon sometimes needs to be pickled, impregnated and other treatments according to market demand.
| Parameter | Typical Value |
| Particle Size | 0.9 – 8.0 mm |
| Surface Area | 800 – 1100 m²/g |
| Pore Volume | 0.5 – 0.8 cm³/g |
| Bulk Density | 0.4 – 0.5 g/cm³ |
| CTC | 30-100% |
| Ash Content | 8 -13% |
| Moisture Content | <5% |
| Hardness | >93% |
What is the application of activated carbon columns?
- Air purification: Activated carbon columns has a high adsorption capacity and can capture harmful substances in the air to removes odors and chemicals from the air. It can be used in air conditioning systems, cleaning machines, automobile engines, etc.
- Solvent recovery: With the high hardness, activated carbon columns is widely used in the recovery of organic solvents such as benzene, ether, xylene, ethanol, acetone, gasoline, chloroform, carbon tetrachloride, etc in tape factory, printing industry, synthetic resin industry, rubber industry.
- Water treatment: Columnar carbon will greatly reduce the small particles produced by friction in water treatment.
- Gold recovery: In CIP and CIL process, hardness and activity of coconut activated carbon is opposite. The gold extraction speed is fast with low hardness and high activity, and the gold extraction speed is slow with high hardness and low activity. Columnar activated carbon in the gold industry, not only high hardness but also good activity are required. We are professional activated carbon column manufacturers. Our pellet activated carbon are uniform inside and can slow down the rate of activity reduction. So that both requirements are met.
How does activated carbon columns work?
Activated carbon columns work by adsorbing (binding to their surface) contaminants in air or water. The contaminants are attracted to the porous surface of the carbon, where they become trapped. This process effectively removes impurities and pollutants from the air or water.
Granule vs pellet activated carbon
Pellet activated carbon (PAC) and granular activated carbon (GAC) are two different physical forms of activated carbon. There are many difference between them.
Shape
The shape of columns activated carbon is cylindrical, and the commonly used specifications are 4.0mm; the granular activated carbon is irregular granular, and the specifications are generally based on the mesh number, 8-30mesh is the conventional size, other specifications can be customized;
Raw material
There are two types of granular activated carbon, which are divided into coal-based granular activated carbon and wood-based granular activated carbon. Coal-based granular activated carbon uses anthracite as raw material, and wood-based granular activated carbon uses fruit shells as raw material; Columnar activated carbon uses anthracite as raw material, and wood columnar activated carbon uses sawdust and coconut shell as raw material. These two activated carbons are slightly different in the selection of raw materials.
Application
In the field of application, there is basically no difference. Whether it is granular activated carbon or columnar activated carbon, as long as their micropores, mesopores, and macropores meet the corresponding operating requirements, they can be used use. Columnar activated carbon is mostly used in air purifiers to purify gas, and granular activated carbon can also be used to purify water.
Specifically, when choosing what kind of activated carbon, the appropriate activated carbon product should be selected according to its treatment process and treatment purpose.
Overall, pellet activated carbon is a versatile material with many applications. Its high surface area and adsorption properties make it ideal for use in a variety of industries.