What is activated carbon and why is it important?

Activated carbon is a filtration product used to extract fine particulate matter from wastewater via adsorption. Adsorption and ultimately the filtration of unwanted particulates is possible thanks to the immense surface area to volume ratio activated carbon has. For every pound of activated carbon there is approximately 100 acres of surface area.

Activated carbon is typically characterized by its given iodine or molasses number. They also come two forms: powdered activated carbon and granulated activated carbon. 

• Powdered Activated Carbon ( PAC): Exhibits a high capacity to remove contaminants due to its increased surface area, but has slow flow rates because there is less room for water to flow through the substrate.
• Granulated Activated Carbon (GAC): Exhibits a lower capacity to remove contaminants than PACs because they have a lower surface area to volume ratio. However, they have greater flow rates than PACs.