Activated charcoal can catch fire.

Activated carbon is a hydrophobic adsorbent that has the characteristics of selective adsorption of non-polar substances. It also has the catalytic effect produced by the functional groups on the carbon surface and the property of carbon itself as a reaction substance. There are still many unclear aspects about its reaction mechanism.

Activated carbon has many uses. Widely used in almost all national economic sectors and daily life. Powdered carbon can be used for liquid phase decolorization, deodorization and refining, and water purification. Granular carbon is used in gas phase adsorption, solvent recovery, air purification, cigarette filters, and can also be used as a carrier for vinyl chloride and vinyl acetate synthesis catalysts and precious metal catalysts.

Extended information

Before activated carbon was invented as a patent in the early 20th century, there were historical records and many references to the history of the application of charcoal.

The earliest known users of charcoal were the Egyptians and Sumerians in 3750 BC.

In 1550 BC, there were records of charcoal being used for medical purposes in ancient Egypt. The famous ancient Greek physician Hippocrates (460-359 BC) and the ancient Roman scientist Pliny the Elder both recorded the use of charcoal to treat epilepsy and anthrax.

On Phoenician merchant ships in 450 BC, fresh water was stored in charred wooden barrels to inhibit bacterial growth and deterioration. This method was still used until the 18th century. During the same period of the Mauryan Empire, Hindu religious documents mentioned the use of sand and charcoal to filter and purify Ganges water for drinking. [Source Request]

In 157, Claudius's medical treatise mentioned charcoal prepared from vegetable and animal sources for the treatment of various diseases.

Charcoal is mentioned in the Compendium of Materia Medica compiled by Li Shizhen (AD 1518-1593) of the Ming Dynasty in China for treating diseases.

In 1773, Carl Wilhelm Scheele discovered through extensive experiments the adsorption capacity of charcoal and its ability to adsorb various gases.

In 1777, the thermal effect and ability of charcoal to adsorb gas were reported, which led to the later proposal of the "condensation adsorption theory".

In 1785, Scheler studied the adsorption capacity of charcoal for gases, ranging from vapors to a range of organic chemicals, and the use of charcoal for decolorization in various aqueous solutions, especially for commercial applications in the production of tartaric acid. This appears to be the first time that adsorption of charcoal on the liquid phase has been systematically considered. At this time, the sugar industry was looking for an effective method of decolorizing syrup. However, wood charcoal is not particularly effective in performing this role at this time, presumably because the porosity has not yet been developed to the extent required for charcoal to decolorize syrup.

In 1794, a British sugar factory successfully produced syrup using charcoal to decolorize. In 1805, France used charcoal to decolorize the sugar beets for the first large-scale production of syrup. From 1805 to 1808, Delessert successfully used charcoal to decolorize sugar beet wine. By 1815, most of the sugar industry had switched to granular bone char as a decolorizing agent.

In 1822, Bussy showed that the decolorization performance of activated carbon, in addition to the inherent raw material, also depends on the thermal processing and particle size of the finished product. He showed that carbonizing at too high a temperature or for too long reduced adsorption properties and porosity, although he had no way to measure this factor. This is the first time the thermal and chemical processes of activated carbon production have been documented.

In 1841, Sgaden systematically used hydrochloric acid pickling before heating the regenerated bone carbon. This effectively eliminates the carbon adsorbed by the mineral salts. He also introduced the first continuous shaft kiln production in Germany and the process for regenerating bone carbon.

In 1854, House introduced the successful use of carbon in filters for the London sewer system to remove impurities from vapors and gases. In 1862, Lipscombe prepared drinking water purified with carbon.

In 1865, hunters discovered that charcoal using coconut shells as raw material had good gas adsorption properties. In 1881, Keizer first used the word 'adsorption' to describe carbon that absorbs gases.

In 1901, Raphael von Ostrejko invented the method of carbonizing plant-source raw materials with metal chlorides or reacting carbon dioxide or water vapor with carbonized materials to produce activated carbon, and successively obtained British and German patents.

In 1911, a factory in Austria produced activated carbon under the brand name Eponit.

From 1914 to 1918, when toxic gases entered the battlefield during World War I, granular activated carbon was used as an adsorbent to mass-produce gas mask canisters for military use.

After World War I, the development of large-scale activated carbon production during the war led to the commercial production and application of activated carbon after the war. Great progress has been made in Europe to create new raw materials for activated carbon. The activated carbon produced by adding coconut, almond shells and zinc chloride has high mechanical properties and the ability to absorb gases and vapors.

From 1935 to 1940, activated carbon was produced in Czechoslovakia using wood chips and zinc chloride as activators to remove and recover harmful gases such as volatile solvents and gases from accidental leaks.

Baidu Encyclopedia-Activated Carbon