Development of Activated Carbon:

The decontaminating property of activated carbon has been used in a wide range

of treatments for centuries now. Back in 1500 B.C., Ancient Egyptians first used carbon

as an adsorbent for purifying and therapeutic purposes. In India, Hindus utilized charcoal

for filtering their drinking water. (Parker, I. and Hughes, D., 2008). Hippocrates sprinkled

powdered charcoal on wounds to eliminate odor circa 420 B.C.

Karl Wilhelm Scheele, a Swedish chemist, was the first to observe adsorption of

gases on charcoal in 1773. Bone and wood charcoal were mass-produced in the early

19th century for the sugar industry to decolorize and purify cane sugar. This lead to the

birth of the first activated carbon plant in Germany.

Despite the ancient discoveries of the utilization of activated carbon, its potentials

were benefited by humankind when the First World War arose in 1914. When the gas

warfare emerged, the quest for the advancement of appropriate respiratory gadgets

sprung up to protect soldiers from toxic gases. The gas masks used were attached to a

canister filled with activated carbon to filter poisonous gases.

Nowadays, water purification industry has the highest demand for activated

carbon. Activated carbon filters are also used in wastewater treatment due to its effectivity

in removing low concentrations of organic compounds and a few heavy metals.

Carcinogenic chlorinated by-products are produced by organic compounds which can be

removed by activated carbon in the course of chlorine disinfection of water.

References:

ACTIVATED CARBON MANUFACTURE, STRUCTURE & PROPERTIES. (2006).

Retrieved August 20, 2017, from

http://www.cameroncarbon.com/documents/carbon_structure.pdf

Leimkuehler, E. P. (2010). Production, Characterization, and Applications of Activated

Carbon. Retrieved August 20, 2017, from

https://mospace.umsystem.edu/xmlui/bitstream/handle/10355/8078/research.pdf?seque

nce=3.

AMRI, N. B. (2008). PREPARATION OF ACTIVATED CARBONS FROM WASTE

TYRES CHAR IMPREGNATED WITH POTASSIUM HYDROXIDE AND CARBON

DIOXIDE GASIFICATION. Retrieved August 20, 2017, from

http://eprints.usm.my/10265/1/PREPARATION_OF_ACTIVATED_CARBONS_FROM_

WASTE_TYRES_CHAR_IMPREGNATED_WITH_POTASSIUM_HYDROXIDE_AND_C

ARBON_DIOXIDE_GASIFICATION.pdf