Download PDF ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOPROCESS TECHNOLOGY: FERMENTATION, BIOCATALYSIS, AND BIOSEPARATION VOLUMES 1 - 5 by Michael C. Flickinger

Sinopsis

Activated carbon is a predominantly amorphous solid that has an extraordinarily large internal surface area and pore volume. These unique characteristics are responsible for its adsorptive properties, which are exploited in many different liquid- and gas-phase applications. Activated carbon is an exceptionally versatile adsorbent because the size and distribution of the pores within the carbon matrix can be controlled to meet the needs of current and emerging markets (1). Engineering requirements of specific applications are satisfied by producing activated carbons in the form of powders, granules, and shaped products. Through choice of precursor, method of activation, and control of processing conditions, the adsorptive properties of products are tailored for applications as diverse as the purification of potable water and the control of emissions from bioproduct recovery processes.

In 1900, two very significant processes in the development and manufacture of activated carbon products were patented (2). The first commercial products were produced in Europe under these patents: Eponite, from wood in 1909, and Norit, from peat in 1911. Activated carbon was first produced in the United States in 1913 by Westvaco Corp. under the name Filtchar, using a by-product of the papermaking process (3). Further milestones in development were reached as a result of World War I. In response to the need for protective gas masks, a hard, granular activated carbon was produced from coconut shell in 1915. Following the war, large-scale commercial use of activated carbon was extended to refining of beet sugar and corn syrup and to purification of municipal water supplies (4). The termination of the supply of coconut char from the Philippines and India during World War II forced the domestic development of granular activated carbon products from coal in 1940 (5). More recent innovations in the manufacture and use of activated carbon products have been driven by the need to recycle resources and to prevent environmental pollution.

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