Don’t know how to choose activated carbon? Choose the right one to double your efficiency!

2025-05-14ニュース 91

1.Bloody Lessons! 90% of Companies Have Fallen into the Trap

Pitfalls that 90% of companies have fallen into “An automotive accessories company in East China was ordered to stop and correct its illegal behavior and fined 180,000 yuan for misusing activated carbon with unqualified technical indicators and violating relevant regulations of the Ministry of Ecology and Environment. The company was fined 180,000 yuan, and its related facilities and equipment were sealed. The responsible personnel were transferred to the public security organs for administrative detention…” “In order to reduce costs, a dye factory used low-priced activated carbon with substandard iodine value to treat dye wastewater. As a result, the activated carbon’s adsorption capacity for dye molecules was seriously insufficient, and the wastewater decolorization effect was poor, unable to meet the emission standards. The environmental protection department ordered it to rectify within a time limit, and the company had to re-purchase high-iodine value activated carbon. The cost of replacing the activated carbon plus the loss of production during the rectification period totaled more than 500,000 yuan…” These shocking cases tell us: choosing the wrong activated carbon = wasting environmental protection costs + reducing production efficiency. 90% of companies don’t know: the type, index, and scenario of activated carbon must be accurately matched!

2.Core dimensions that must be known when choosing activated carbon

01 Different materials determine adsorption capacity.

Type	Raw materials	Applicable scenarios	Features
Coconut Shell Activated Carbon	Coconut Shell	Food decolorization, precious metal extraction, etc.	High adsorption performance, high strength, high purity, low ash content
Nutshell activated carbon	Walnut shells, apricot shells, peach shells and other hard nut shells	Food and beverage decolorization, oil deodorization, etc.	High-middle hole ratio, high cost performance, more balanced regeneration performance
Wood activated carbon	Wood chips (pine, birch, etc.), charcoal	Wastewater treatment, flue gas desulfurization, solvent recovery, etc.	Balanced adsorption, easy regeneration, more balanced cost and performance
Coal-based activated carbon	Anthracite, lignite, bituminous coal	Industrial waste gas treatment (such as desulfurization and denitrification), sewage treatment plant pretreatment, etc.	High macropore ratio, high mechanical strength, low cost

Key points for selection decisions:

Small molecule fine treatment: coconut shell charcoal is preferred (such as drinking water, gas phase adsorption).

Medium molecule/decolorization: nutshell charcoal is more economical (such as food processing, wastewater decolorization).

Mixed system/regeneration requirements: wood charcoal has strong adaptability (such as chemical recycling, comprehensive wastewater).

Large molecule/low cost scenario: coal-based charcoal has outstanding cost performance (such as industrial waste gas, pretreatment).

02.Differentiate by form: scene adaptation is more critical.

Type	Usage scenarios	Precautions
粉末活性炭	Emergency treatment, high-precision decolorization	Easy to clog the pipe, need matching filter
Granular activated carbon	Water treatment, gas treatment continuous adsorption	Packing density affects efficiency
Honeycomb activated carbon	Low drag exhaust gas treatment	Limited adsorption capacity, easily clogged

03.Classification by function: Adsorption accuracy determines success or failure

Microporous activated carbon (pore size <2nm): adsorption of small molecules (formaldehyde, residual chlorine, etc.)

Mesoporous activated carbon (pore size 2-50nm): adsorption of large molecules (pigments, colloids, etc.)

Modified activated carbon: silver/sulfur loading, etc., to adjust the technical indicators of activated carbon for specific pollutants

3.Quick reference for industry selection

Food and beverage industry
Core requirements: decolorization, deodorization, residue ≤0.5ppm
Recommended type: food-grade coconut shell charcoal (in compliance with GB/T 12496.8 standard)
Case: After a juice factory switched to high-iodine coconut shell charcoal, the decolorization efficiency increased by 70%
Pharmaceutical industry
Core requirements: sterile, no dissolution, adsorption capacity ≥800mg/g
Recommended type: pharmaceutical-grade columnar charcoal (heavy metal ≤0.01ppm)
Avoid pits: prohibit the use of industrial regenerated charcoal to prevent cross contamination
Chemical industry
Core requirements: high temperature resistance, compressive strength ≥90%
Recommended type: coal-based briquette charcoal (ash content ≤5%, excellent wear resistance)
Pain point: ordinary charcoal is replaced once every 3 months, and the life of modified charcoal can be extended to 18 months