CLARIMEX - What is the Activated Carbon?

THE MYSTERY OF ACTIVATED CARBON

Many years ago the Egyptians discovered that wood carbon could be used to purify other products and could even be used as medicine. At present, activated carbon is used to remove color, smell and taste from a great number of products, therefore we can find simple applications that range from aquariums and refrigerator filters, to complex industrial systems as wastewater treatment plants or precise systems to produce antibiotics.

What makes ACTIVATED CARBON such a versatile material?
First, the adsorption process should be analyzed to better understand how activated carbon works. Adsorption is a process by which the atoms on the surface of a solid attract and retain molecules from other compounds. These attraction forces are known as the "Van Der Waals" forces. Therefore, due to the fact that this phenomenon only takes place on the surface, the larger the available surface a solid has, the more adsorbent it will be.

Activated carbon is a product that has a reticular crystalline structure similar to that of graphite. It is extremely porous and can develop a 1,500 m2 surface area or bigger per gram of carbon.

All the carbon atoms on the surface of a crystal can attract molecules of those compounds that produce an unwanted color, smell or taste. What establishes the difference when considering activated carbon is the amount of atoms available on the surface that carry out the adsorption process.
That is to say, the activation of any carbon consists in "multiplying" the surface area creating a porous structure. It should be mentioned that the activated carbon surface area is internal. To better understand how large it is, let us imagine a piece of carbon weighing one gram. Now, let us grind that piece very finely to increase its surface; we will get an approximate 3 to 4 m2 area. When we activate carbon we can multiply that value from 200 to 300 times.