What is the difference between activated carbon, coke, and activated coke?

This post was last edited by I’m awesome on 2009-11-11 14:39. Coke is the solid product obtained from the high-temperature dry distillation of coal; its main component is carbon, and it has a cracked and irregular pore structure (or a porous structure with pores). Active coke is an adsorptive coal product that lies between activated carbon and gas coke. At present, the domestic manufacturer of activated carbon is the Ito Group Coal Chemical Company. The quality parameters of its product are as follows: ① Hardness: 91 w%; ② Methylene blue content: 60 mg/g; ③ Ash content: 12.5 w%; ④ Apparent density: 540 g/l; ⑤ Lodine number: 620 mg/g; ⑥ Specific surface area (N2 adsorption): 490 m2/g; ⑦ Sugar thickness value: >200 mg/g; ⑧ Particle size distribution: 0–3.15 mm, with 92% of the particles being larger than 1.25 mm. Activated carbon is an excellent adsorbent, and it is produced by using raw materials such as charcoal, bamboo charcoal, various fruit peels, and high-quality coal, through a series of processes including crushing, screening, catalyst activation, rinsing, drying, and sieving, using physical and chemical methods. The ratio of an object’s surface area to its volume is called specific surface area. The specific surface area of activated carbon is typically 500–1500 m2/g, and activated carbon with a higher specific surface area generally has a stronger adsorption capacity.

Thank you for the reply from the second floor; conceptually, it seems rather difficult to understand； What about the second question (please introduce existing industrial applications)? Thank you

The specific surface area is low; if there is no issue with the raw materials, then there must be a problem with the activation process.

Active carbon is an adsorbent produced from coal as raw material, and it is manufactured through various processes such as pulverization, mixing, shaping, coking, and activation. For different adsorption targets, the types of raw materials, their proportions, and process parameters vary. Activated carbon, commonly used in flue gas desulfurization processes, is in the form of cylindrical or lentil-shaped particles with a diameter of ~9 mm and a length of 3–10 mm.

The specific surface area of activated coke lies between that of coke and activated carbon, and its price is also between the two. Activated carbon is used on a small scale in environmental protection applications, such as for odor removal and in gas masks. Activated carbon can be used on a large scale for the desulfurization of industrial flue gases, where a series of catalytic oxidation and adsorption reactions occur on its surface; subsequent heating allows for the regeneration of the activated carbon. There are already examples of its industrial application.

Active carbon is essentially the same as activated carbon

Active coke is essentially the same as activated carbon; the difference lies in the fact that active coke has a lower specific surface area and a higher ash content, with coal being the main raw material used

It is now common to use activated carbon to treat wastewater, and to burn sludge into coke for soil improvement. Why can’t tail water be treated with coke? Is activated carbon obsolete? Cost issues? No specific research has been done yet; I hope someone knowledgeable can answer

For example: 1. The country’s first sludge dry distillation and carbonization treatment production line was put into operation in Yongkang. November 7, 2013. Zhejiang Online Jinhua Channel. Yesterday, reporters witnessed at the Yongkang sewage treatment plant a state-of-the-art sludge treatment production line in the country: it is capable of converting 10 tons of sludge into 1 ton of biochar through dry distillation and carbonization. The biochar produced as a result can be reused as an adsorbent material to help retain soil and nutrients in desertified areas, thereby supporting plant growth. 2. Breakthrough achieved in technology for upgrading industrial wastewater treatment in Shangyu, Zhejiang Source: Shangyu Daily Author: Liu Jinping 2014/11/19 8:23:22 The project aimed at improving the quality of wastewater collection and treatment, which has received significant attention from all sectors of society, was officially put into design phase recently. After more than 2 years of technical testing, breakthroughs were finally made in the core processes of this project: the COD level of the treated industrial wastewater can be kept below 80 mg/L, meeting the standards set by the Ministry of Environmental Protection. The project for improved collection and treatment of wastewater based on different waste types is a key initiative in our region. The estimated investment for this project is 290 million yuan; it involves the construction of new advanced treatment facilities that will be connected to the existing second-phase facilities. As a result, the wastewater treatment system will be transformed into one system capable of treating 100,000 tons of domestic wastewater per day and another system capable of treating 100,000 tons of industrial wastewater per day. The key technology used in this project is the Fenton oxidation process combined with activated carbon adsorption. It is understood that Fenton oxidation is an advanced oxidation technology capable of effectively treating industrial wastewater that is difficult to degrade, toxic, and has poor biodegradability. It is currently used for the advanced treatment of wastewater from industries such as dyeing and printing, papermaking, and chemicals. Activated carbon is a granular material made primarily from lignite, possessing both adsorption and catalytic properties; it effectively adsorbs the large molecules and long-chain organic substances remaining after Fenton oxidation. Through technical cooperation and testing with various organizations such as Zhongnan Design, it has been shown that, under the existing conditions of industrial wastewater entering the system, the COD level in the treated effluent can be reduced to around 60 mg/L by applying this treatment process.

Could you introduce the production process of activated carbon? Is there a market for activated carbon?