Activated carbon is a form of carbon obtained from charcoal that has a very large surface area available for chemical reactions and absorptions. Activated carbon is manufactured to very be porous and thus able to produce a great degree of absorption. Activated carbon is also known as ?Active? carbon. Microporosity of activated carbon is usually calculated by testing nitrogen gas absorption. One gram of activated carbon usually has a surface area of 500m?. Although regular activated carbon has a very large surface area, additional chemical treatment can extract more of the absorbing power of the carbon. Some of the commercial uses of activated carbon include: Water purification, medicine, metal extraction, sewage treatment, air filters and gas masks.

One of the most helpful uses of activated carbon is removing pollutants from the air and water. Activated carbon can be utilized in both spill cleanup and air purification of chemical plants. Also, it can be applied in groundwater remediation and drinking water filtration. Another practical use of activated carbon is the removal of volatile organic compound (VOCs) that can be found in paint, dry cleaning, gasoline and other chemical products.

Perhaps the most common application of activated carbon is in the field of metal finishing. It is used for purification of electroplating solutions, which includes removing organic impurities from nickel. Many organic chemicals are used in metal plating to improve their deposit qualities like smoothness, brightness and ductility. Unfortunately, when an electrical current is passed through the metal to activate these chemicals, several of the organic additives produce harmful byproducts. An excessive buildup of these byproducts can adversely affect the plating integrity and physical properties of these metals. The utilization of activated carbon nullifies these impurities and restores plating performance to a working level.