05/09/2017

Uses of Activated Carbon and Its Role

in the Environment

"Activated Carbon" is a generic term for highly porous

carbonaceous materials that cannot be defined by structural
formula, or by chemical analysis. A piece of carbon with millions
of tiny interlocking holes is called activated carbon. Under a
microscope, activated carbon looks like a sponge. The millions of
tiny interlocking holes occupy space within the carbon. Thus
activated carbon has very high internal surface area.

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Applications

Water Treatment
The worlds drinking water supply
comes from lakes and rivers.
Activated carbon is one of the best
and most common treatment options
for freshwater municipal supplies.

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Air Purification

Activated carbon is capable of adsorbing

undesirable components from gases, which
makes it incredibly valuable in air quality control
and purification.

Pharmaceutical Industry
Activated carbon is used to treat poisoning
and overdosing. Tablets or capsules of activated
carbon are used in many countries as an over-
the-counter drug to treat diarrhea
and indigestion.

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Gold Recovery
Activated carbon is used to adsorb
gold from cyanide leach solutions.
But activated carbon - as a media
for gold recovery - was not used in
the gold mining industry until the
1970's, with the requirement of
heap leaching for vast quantities of
low grade gold ores.

At present, activated carbon is

commonly used for the recovery of
gold from a cyanide leach solution.

Important Parameters
Type of Material

Coconut shell is best for gold recovery

application.

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Gold Recovery
Particle Size Distribution

Size of individual particles has a significant

impact on the rate at which gold is adsorbed.
Smaller particles adsorb more quickly, while
larger particles have slower adsorption rate. It is
important to have a consistent particle size
distribution to minimize gold loss and maximize
gold loading.

Adsorption Capacity
Gold Recovery
This refers to how much activated carbon can
adsorb.

Adsorption Rate

This refers to how fast activated carbon can

adsorb.

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Gold Recovery
Hardness

It is the resistance of particles to crack and break

apart during processing.

Mechanical strength is important in reducing

losses because of attrition. Attrition is the
breakdown of material into fines. Not only does
this result in carbon loss, but it also causes a
loss in recoverable gold.

In an industry where the unit of measure is in

OUNCES, use of high quality, consistent material
is a must.

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Benefits of Activated Carbon

Renewable

Reusable

Negative carbon
footprint

Environment-friendly

THANK YOU!