History of applications of activated carbon

In the late 1960s and early 1970s, due to the large-scale production of coal based granular carbon and the emergence of regeneration equipment, developed countries conducted research on the use of activated carbon adsorption to remove trace organic compounds from water, and carried out deep treatment of drinking water.

 

(1) A Brief History of Foreign Applications

 

There are records of using charcoal in ancient Egypt around 3750 BC.

 

In 1900, the British first invented a method of producing activated carbon by carbonizing plants with metal chlorides.

 

In 1917, both sides of World War I had already used activated carbon in gas masks.

 

In 1927, a foul odor accident occurred at the Chicago Waterworks in the United States, and since then, activated carbon has been widely used for deodorization of tap water.

 

The first water plant to use granular activated carbon adsorption tanks for deodorization was built in Philadelphia, United States in 1930.

 

In the late 1960s and early 1970s, due to the large-scale production of coal based granular carbon and the emergence of regeneration equipment, developed countries conducted research on the use of activated carbon adsorption to remove trace organic compounds from water, and carried out deep treatment of drinking water. The equipment for purifying granular activated carbon has been gradually built and put into operation in countries such as the United States, Europe, and Japan. More than 90% of water plants in the United States that use surface water as their water source have adopted activated carbon adsorption technology.

 

(2) A Brief History of Domestic Applications

 

In the early 1950s, China only began producing activated carbon.

 

In the late 1960s, activated carbon was used to remove odor and odor from contaminated water sources.

 

Activated carbon is mainly used as a solid adsorbent in chemical, pharmaceutical, environmental and other fields, for adsorbing substances with high boiling points and critical temperatures, as well as organic compounds with high molecular weight. In the fields of air purification and water treatment, there is also a trend of increasing application volume. Specialized high-end carbons such as high specific surface area carbon, high benzene carbon, and fiber carbon have penetrated into fields such as aerospace, electronics, communication, energy, biotechnology, and life sciences.