An activated carbon or activated charcoal is a collective name for processed carbons with extremely porous structure and extensive surface area that allow them to effectively capture and hold materials, thus making them suitable for adsorption and chemical reaction.

The processing of carbon into an activated carbon generally involves the treatment of char with heat and oxygen or through the carbonization of carbonaceous materials permeated with dehydrating chemicals such as certain acids and bases.

Processing of char creates chemical reactions that rearrange its carbon atoms to form a large number of tiny pores, thus creating a huge surface area. activated carbon manufacturer Hence, the primary property of activated carbon is a high degree of microporosity that allows it to adsorb certain molecules.

It is also important to mention that a single gram of this form of carbon can have a surface area ranging from 500 to 1500 square meters. This large surface area due to microporosity makes it a highly adsorbent material.

Remember that adsorption is different from absorption. In chemistry, absorption means atoms, molecules, or ions entering or getting trapped inside something. A notable example is a water soaking into a tissue paper or a cloth.

On the other hand, adsorption involves atoms, molecules, or ions binding to the surface of another compound due to the mechanism of Van der Waals force. In other words, instead of entering inside the compound, they attach or adhere to the surface.https://www.dxdcarbon.com/

The Van der Waals force is a weak and short-range electrostatic attractive force between uncharged molecules. Activated carbon is highly adsorbent because its tiny pores promote or reinforce the Van der Waals interaction with another molecule.

However, it is important to note that the physical and chemical properties of a particular type of activated charcoal depends on the source material and the specific method employed in the production and processing of char.