Activated Carbon

In today's life, awareness of a healthier environment continues to increase. One way to increase the level of environmental health is to reduce the level of pollution in water, air and land which are the main environments where we live. Activated carbon can help the process of reducing pollution levels.

Activated carbon is able to remove various contaminants, such as:

• Water : Chlorine, heavy metals, pesticides and organic chemicals.

• Air : Odors, smoke, pollutants and harmful gases.

• Soil : Industrial waste, pesticides and heavy metals.

Activated carbon can also be used in industries for:

• Purification : Removing contaminants from products and raw materials.

• Separation : Separating certain substances from a mixture.

• Catalysis : Speeds up chemical reactions.

Activated carbon has several advantages compared to other adsorbent materials, namely:

• High efficiency : Has high adsorption ability against various contaminants.

• Environmentally friendly : Activated carbon can be produced from renewable and biodegradable raw materials.

• Relatively low cost : Activated carbon is a relatively cheap material compared to other adsorbent materials.

Even though it has many advantages, activated carbon also has several challenges, such as:

• Limited adsorption capacity : Activated carbon has limited adsorption capacity and needs to be regenerated periodically.

• Limited durability : Activated carbon can be damaged by certain chemicals and high temperatures.

Characteristics of good quality activated carbon include:

• High surface area: The higher the surface area, the more contaminants the activated carbon can absorb.

• Proper pore size: The pore size must be large enough to accommodate the contaminant you wish to remove.

• Low ash content: High ash content can reduce the adsorption ability of activated carbon.

• High hardness: Activated carbon must be hard enough to resist abrasion.

• Resistance to chemicals and temperatures: Activated carbon must be resistant to chemicals that will be used in various temperature conditions, especially high temperatures.

So it can be concluded that the need for activated carbon continues to increase along with increasing pollution, industrial growth, and awareness of health and the environment. Activated carbon is an efficient and environmentally friendly adsorbent material with many advantages. Despite some challenges, activated carbon remains a viable choice for a variety of applications.

Sources:

Wikipedia - Activated carbon: https://id.wikipedia.org/wiki/Active_carbon

Britannica - Activated carbon: https://www.britannica.com/science/activated-carbon

IWA Publishing - Activated carbon: http://repository.unika.ac.id/13294/5/12.60.0248%20Christina%20Thiveny%20Putrianti%20BAB%20IV.pdf

Journal of Chemical Science and Applications - Utilization of Coconut Shell Activated Charcoal for Adsorption of Heavy Metal Ions Lead (Pb2+) and Mercury (Hg2+)