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Granulated Activated Carbon (GAC)
What is Granulated Activated Carbon (GAC)?
Granular activated carbon (GAC) is a highly porous adsorption media that can be used to filter organic contaminants, pesticides, chemicals (like chlorine), and even per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) from water. To generate GAC, raw organic materials are broken down through either a grinding or crushing process, then compacted to attain rigidness, and are subsequently crushed to reduce the material down to target size. This process results in the formation of a complex and extensive network of pores throughout the GAC. In fact, one or two grams of these carbon granules can have thousands of square meters of both internal and external surface area.
GAC is versatile and can be comprised of various raw organic materials including:
- Coal
- Wood
- Peat
- Coconut shells
- Lignite
- Bituminous coal
Granulated Activated Carbon can remove:
- Taste- and odor-producing compounds
- Organic materials
- Volatile organic compounds (VOCs)
- Synthetic organic compounds
How Does GAC Work?
The extensive porous network within granular activated carbon is what drives its ability to adsorb and filter large quantities of organic matter contained within water. As untreated water passes through the GAC, organic and chemical impurities are adsorbed in the internal surfaces of the pores and held through attractive physical forces. This occurs because there are differences in the concentration of adsorbates between the water and granular carbon pores, so the organic matter is attracted to the pores and migrates in a process similar to diffusion.
Filtration capabilities of GAC depend on the following factors:
- Density
- Particle (mesh) size
- Pore size distribution
- Ash content
- Abrasion resistance
Encotech has numerous types of Activated Carbon Media in stock and available to our clients
Benefits
The Benefits of Using Granular Activated Carbon for Filtration
In the context of wastewater treatment, activated granular carbon is a highly effective filtration method. GAC has a high capacity for adsorbing large quantities of water due to its expanse of surface area. In some cases, merely a pound of granular carbon can be suitable for a wastewater treatment facility depending on its size and the GAC density, particle and pore size, and abrasion resistance. On top of its ability to remove the broad array of organic particles found in wastewater, such as tastes and odors, color bodies, chlorine, and PFAS.
GAC is:
- Reusable and can be regenerated
- Highly effective at removing VOCs and PFAs
- Readily available
- Extremely effective
