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Granular Activated Carbon For Environmental Cleanup

Our modern industrial processes involve some very harmful inputs. These inputs are for the most part contained but will get out into the environment via the air and water that passes through a production facility. This pollution is harmful but can often be contained somewhat. The real risk comes when these harmful substances are transported or when a facility closes down. In the process of transportation a lot can go wrong and an accident can release a large amount of toxic material into an otherwise decent environment. In addition when a facility that has processed a large amount of such harmful substances closes down then the site of the facility is often polluted to the point of being unusable without a very serious cleanup effort. This is where granular activated carbon or activated charcoal comes in to play. It can be incredibly difficult to cleanup such messes because these substances are not easily contained. Activated carbon adsorption materials though have a property whereby they are able to essentially absorb all the pollutants. This is thanks to the huge surface area of activated carbon and the fact that activated carbon bonds tightly to many pollutants. Using activated carbon the toxins can be cleaned up and then removed from the site.

New Granular Activated Carbon From Unlikely Source

Granular activated carbon is a necessary component in many water and air filters, and is constantly in demand by filter manufacturers. Recently, a material which has been thought of as largely a waste product has been developed as an unlikely source for granular activated carbon: macadamia nut shells. Recently a Hawaiian based company, Big Island Carbon, had started construction on a macadamia shell processing plant to turn these hard, dense, but also very porous shells, into bulk activated carbon to be used in a variety of filtering products.

Instead of burning these shells or burying them in landfills, as has been done previously since they were seen up until now as a waste product to be disposed of, macadamia shells will now be processed into a valuable source of granular activated carbon. They also have the potential to become a source of biofuel in the near future, once the technology is further developed. Furthermore, the macadamia shell processing plant will become an important source of more than thirty jobs for a local economy that is much in need of such positions. The plant will be centrally located near the homes of potential workers, reducing commuting time and making it more accessible to potential employees as well.

Granular Activated Carbon and Your Water

The one thing we all consume lots of is water. Water is a necessity for human life and seeing as most of the human body is constituted of water it makes sense that we need to take in so much of it to survive. Each and everyday we drink this water without thinking much about what we are actually taking in. We start drinking from a very young age and so drinking tap water is second nature for most of us. The reality is though that very few absolutely pure water sources exist and most of the water we do drink from the tap has to go through many chemical processes to get rid of the potential toxins and pollutants that are in the original source water. These processes are critical as otherwise we would not have safe drinking water. The problem is that these chemicals although needed in the treatment process can build up in our bodies over time and this build up can cause some chronic conditions. There is a solution you can install at home in the form of granular activated carbon filters that will remove these impurities. Activated carbon filters can be installed either centrally or on a per faucet basis and can give you even safer drinking water.