What are the Uses of Activated Carbon?

People often ask us the question, “What is activated charcoal good for?” This post will illustrate the uses of activated carbon in different industries. Activated carbon is one of the best adsorbents due to its high surface area, pore structure, and a high degree of surface reactivity. Activated carbon is used to purify, dechlorinate, deodorize, and decolorize both vapor and liquid applications. In addition, activated carbons are economical adsorbents for a wide range of industries such as water purification, food products, cosmetology, automotive applications, industrial gas purification, petroleum, and precious metal recovery. 

Uses of the activated carbon in different industries

There are many different types of activated carbon. Depending on the quality and type of activated carbon, its use becomes diverse.  Activated carbon is a vital component in many different industries. Let's take a look at the uses of activated carbon in various industries.

• Medical Applications — Activated carbon is extensively used in the medical industry for the treatment of overdoses and poisoning. Activated carbon capsules or tablets are used around the world to cure problems like indigestion and diarrhea.
  
  
• Industrial Applications — Activated carbon is used in a wide range of industrial and manufacturing units. One of the common industrial applications is metal finishing. Activated carbon is a well known purification agent for removing impurities from metals like nickel.
  
  
• Analytical Chemistry Applications — In order to purify chemical and organic solutions, activated carbon has a high adsorption capacity. With the help of diatomaceous earth and activated carbon, carbohydrates can be separated using low pressure.
  
  
• Agricultural Applications — Activated carbon has gained a lot of popularity among organic farmers and winemakers. In livestock production, activated carbon is used as feed, an insecticide, a processing aid, and a disinfectant. In winemaking, activated carbon acts as a processing agent that absorbs odor & undesirable color pigments.
  
  
• Environmental Applications — Due to the high surface area and adsorption capacity, activated carbon plays a very important role in a wide range of environmental uses. It proves to be very useful in groundwater treatment and spill cleaning.
  
  
• Cosmetic Applications — Activated carbon is used in cosmetic products such as shampoos, toothpastes and face masks. This allows toxins and contaminants to be trapped and washed away.
  
  
• Distilled Beverage Purification — With the help of activated carbon, organic impurities are removed from the beverages that help In improving the taste, odor, and color of the beverages.
  
  
• Water Purification — The major use of activated carbon is in water purification. Activated carbon is capable of removing the impurities from large-scale, community-wide water systems as well as smaller scale, residential applications. For more details you can read, what does activated carbon remove from water?
  
  
• Air and Gas Purification — Activated carbon efficiently traps and removes the gas molecules from the air. In addition, activated carbon filters reduce odors, hydrocarbons, and oil vapors from the air.
  
  

Uses of activated carbon are enormous. The mentioned applications are merely a sampling of activated carbon’s versatility. Why are we saying this? Activated carbon is such a valuable substance that researchers are perpetually finding new uses for it. We have mentioned only the most common application area where activated carbon is used. Activated carbon is no less than a boon in the water filter industry. Swift Green Filters uses the advanced activated carbon technique to manufacture water filters including refrigerator water filters, under sink water filters and pitcher water filters. Try using Swift’s activated carbon water filters that are certified by IAPMO to meet NSF/ANSI standards.