+91 9501005395What is powdered activated carbon? Why is it used? Some key application areas?
Powdered activated carbon popularly known as PAC is activated charcoal ground or pulverized beyond 80 mesh. PAC can be pulverized up to 500 mesh size. The most common PAC is wood-based activated charcoal ( steam and chemical ), however, coconut and coal-based PACs are used in a few applications.
The application of PAC depends on the type of activation and source of raw material.
Steam-based PACs with high meso porosity and macro porosity are typically used in
1. Purification and decolorization of API and Bulk drug pharmaceutical purification process. During the manufacture of paracetamol, m, HCQ and other bulk drugs activated carbon purification is part of the drum master file and is critical and normally used at the final API purification stage.
2. Activated Charcoal Tablets and Injections – PACs bound into charcoal tablets and suspensions which serve against bloating, and poisoning among humans and veterinary use.
3. Steam applications with low heavy metal content and low content of Zn and Phosphorus are preferred in the purification of effluent plants and potable water. In many countries, one of the key reasons one can drink water from the bathroom tap is the use of activated carbon for the purification of water supply to households.
4. Powdered activated carbon is preferred to treat large-scale effluents before the water is merged. PAC with a high surface area helps purify large volumes of water at a lower cost.
5. PACs are popularly used in edible oil refining. Activated Carbon and Bleaching earth play an active role in purifying edible oil. PACs with low PAH – poly aromatic hydrocarbons are preferred.
6. A few other applications like Mercury removal from emissions in coal plants, and semiconductors are popular applications.
Chemical-activated PACs are particularly used in the following.
1. Food and Sugar applications where the colorants or impurities are particularly large in size and require high macro porosity.
2. In a few pharma applications wherein the color of the final product is particularly required to be transparent, chemical-activated carbon is used.
Both chemical/steam application-based PACs are used to purify spice extracts like chili and Pepper to extract color and enable the extracts to have their active ingredient of heat value of the chili or pepper without any color which then is used in several food applications.
PACs have many more applications and continue to grow as a product across industries.
