Coco FAQ’s

How are VillageCoco Charcoal prices so low?
How can I order?
How much can I order?
What is the delivery time?
What is the shelf life of activated carbon?
Can I reactivate the used activated carbon and reuse it?
Why is charcoal derived from coconut shell better for the environment and our suppliers?
What is the market share of BBQ charcoal compared to alternative cooking fuels in 2010?
What is the history of Charcoal?
What is Activated Carbon?
What is history of Activated Carbon?
Is Activated Carbon/carbon derived from coconut shell superior to other raw materials?
How does absorption work with Activated Carbon?
What raw materials can be used to made carbon?
How is it Activated Carbon manufactured?
How is the carbon’s capacity measured?
How is the surface area calculated?
What is the Mesh Size?
What is the ash content?
How to the different properties inter-relate?
Where can I find more information about charcoal made from coconut shell?

 

How are VillageCoco Charcoal prices so low?

VillageCoco Charcoal believes we are the best value and most cost competitive supplier in our target markets. Some of reasons we can achieve this is because:

• our manufacturing process only uses charcoal shell to manufacture charcoal, as coconut shell is one of the best raw materials for making charcoal our charcoal is of a higher and more consistent quality.
• our manufacturing facility is located in heart of the South East Asia’s coconut region so raw material delivery costs are lower.
• our manufacturing facility sits next to an International shipping port and is close to Northern Australia and Papua New Guinea so we have lower shipping costs and delivery times.
• our company is based Hong Kong which has a much low tax rate than most countries.
• our company only sells in bulk 40” containers so we save money on logistics and handling.
• our company ships directly to the closest port of entry to remove any double handling.
• our company does not warehouse any stock so we have much lower overheads.

All of these cost savings are passed onto the customer.

 

How can I order?

Call, email or Skype us! All the communication options are on the Contact Us page.

 

How much can I order?

VillageCoco Charcoal is a bulk supplier to the Australia and Papua New Guinea. Our minimum order is one 40” container.

The volume depends upon the product type:

• VCC BBQ Charcoal than that is approximately 20 tonnes.
• VCC Activated Carbon is approximately 16 tonnes.

We can supply more than 120,000 tonnes a month of BBQ charcoal and 60,000 tonnes a month of Activated Carbon.

 

 

What is the delivery time?

If we have the product in stock locally (most of our products are) we can deliver immediately. For larger quantities (container loads) and special requests it could take 30-60 days.

 

What is the shelf life of activated carbon?

Activated carbon has no shelf life. It will keep its pore structure and, hence, its adsorption characteristics until the activated carbon are put in contact with compounds that can be adsorbed. We recommend keeping it dry, separate from volatile organic chemicals and secure from rodent attacks.

 

Can I reactivate the used activated carbon and reuse it?

There is no facility in Australia or Papua New Guinea that regenerates activated carbon. The used activated carbon would have to be replaced with new and disposed of to landfill.

 

Why is charcoal derived from coconut shell better for the environment and our suppliers?

Charcoal derived from coconut shell has a smaller carbon footprint than most alternative charcoals. This is because the carbon cycle of a coconut shell is about three months, the time it takes to grow into a full grown coconut. In comparison, charcoal derived from a tree has a carbon cycle of 20 – 60 years and even a lot more. When you compare it to mineral and brown coal, then their carbon cycle can be millions of years.

In addition, once the coconut is harvested the coconut oil and water is removed. After that the shell is simply cooked until it turns into ash which releases the carbon back into the atmosphere. This represents a huge waste in valuable resources. We believe so much in the environmental advantages of charcoal derived for coconut shell. As a result we are in consultation with the Gold Standard Foundation (http://www.cdmgoldstandard.org/) with the goal of getting certified so that we can sell carbon credits on the verified carbon market.

 

 

Purchasing charcoal derived from coconut shell is also a more ‘ethical’ choice as it offers the raw materials suppliers a “fair price” and an additional revenue stream. How is this?

Firstly, compared to most alternative charcoals, more of the raw material is sourced from dis-advantaged, small scale farmers in the developing world. If you consider charcoal derived from mineral charcoal, it is often sourced from a single large supplier. So instead of buying raw material from one large and usually wealthy supplier you are supplementing the income of many smaller suppliers.

Secondly, most of the shell of charcoal derives little to no additional income for coconut farmers. This is because coconut shell charcoal is thin like a chip. Compared with lumpy chunks of natural lump charcoal, mostly derived from illegal logging in the Philippines, it is much more difficult to use for cooking. So locals prefer to use lump charcoal and as a result the farmer, who are mostly small scale and often live below the poverty line have no additional income.

 

 

We conducted about 1200 interviews so far to get a solid statistical understanding of the supplier market, and as part of the FairTrade certification program, and more than half of the suppliers in our Association live under the poverty line. If they could sell their shell or charcoal derived from the shell we have estimated that their total income per coconut would increase 15% (based on December 2012 prices) and their disposable income would increase 30-40% (because there is virtually no additional cost to the farmer to produce shell). This would represent a very significant improvement in their families standard of living.

We are working with FairTrade International (www.fairtrade.net) and their FLO Cert “independent certification division” (www.flo-cert.net/).

 

What is the market share of BBQ charcoal compared to alternative cooking fuels in 2010?

In 2010 for North America more than 15 million grills and smokers shipped, a slight increase (0.5%) overall from 2009. Gas grills continue to top the charts as the most popular type of grill, followed by charcoal and then electric.

• Total Gas Grills Shipments (57 percent of sales) – 8,553,500
• Total Charcoal Grills Shipments (41 percent of sales) – 6,232,500
• Total Electric Grills Shipments (2 percent of sales) – 276,600

The Australian market has a similar breakdown of market shares between alternative cooking fuels.

 

What is the history of Charcoal?

Historically, production of wood charcoal in districts where there is an abundance of wood dates back to a very ancient period, and generally consists of piling billets of wood on their ends so as to form a conical pile, openings being left at the bottom to admit air, with a central shaft to serve as a flue. The whole pile is covered with turf or moistened clay. The firing is begun at the bottom of the flue, and gradually spreads outwards and upwards. The success of the operation depends upon the rate of the combustion. Under average conditions, 100 parts of wood yield about 60 parts by volume, or 25 parts by weight, of charcoal; small-scale production on the spot often yields only about 50%, large-scale was efficient to about 90% even by the seventeenth century. The operation is so delicate that it was generally left to colliers (professional charcoal burners). They often lived alone in small huts in order to tend their wood piles. For example, in the Harz Mountains of Germany, charcoal burners lived in conical huts called Koten which are still much in evidence today.

The massive production of charcoal (at its height employing hundreds of thousands, mainly in Alpine and neighbouring forests) was a major cause of deforestation, especially in Central Europe. In England, many woods were managed as coppices, which were cut and regrew cyclically, so that a steady supply of charcoal would be available (in principle) forever; complaints (as early as the Stuart period) about shortages may relate to the results of temporary over-exploitation or the impossibility of increasing production to match growing demand. The increasing scarcity of easily harvested wood was a major factor for the switch to the fossil fuel equivalents, mainly coal and brown coal for industrial use.

The use of charcoal as a smelting fuel has been experiencing a resurgence in South America following Brazilian law changes in 2010 to reduce carbon emissions as part of President Lula da Silva’s commitment to make a “green steel”. The modern process of carbonizing wood, either in small pieces or as sawdust in cast iron retorts, is extensively practiced where wood is scarce, and also for the recovery of valuable byproducts (wood spirit, pyroligneous acid, wood tar), which the process permits. The question of the temperature of the carbonization is important; according to J. Percy, wood becomes brown at 220 °C (428 °F), a deep brown-black after some time at 280 °C (536 °F), and an easily powdered mass at 310 °C (590 °F).[4] Charcoal made at 300°C (572 °F) is brown, soft and friable, and readily inflames at 380 °C (716 °F); made at higher temperatures it is hard and brittle, and does not fire until heated to about 700 °C (1,292 °F).

 

 

In Finland and Scandinavia, the charcoal was considered the by-product of wood tar production. The best tar came from pine, thus pinewoods were cut down for tar pyrolysis. The residual charcoal was widely used as substitute for metallurgical coke in blast furnaces for smelting. Tar production led to rapid deforestation: it has been estimated all Finnish forests are younger than 300 years. The end of tar production at the end of the 19th century resulted in rapid re-forestation.

The charcoal briquette was first invented and patented by Ellsworth B. A. Zwoyer of Pennsylvania in 1897[5] and was produced by the Zwoyer Fuel Company. The process was further popularized by Henry Ford, who used wood and sawdust byproducts from automobile fabrication as a feedstock. Ford Charcoal went on to become the Kingsford Company.

 

What is Activated Carbon?

Activated carbon, also called Activated Carbon, activated coal, or carbo activatus, is a form of carbon processed to be riddled with small, low-volume pores that increase the surface area available for adsorption or chemical reactions.[1] Activated is sometimes substituted with active.

Due to its high degree of microporosity, just one gram of activated carbon has a surface area in excess of 500 m2, as determined by adsorption isotherms of carbon dioxide gas at room or 0.0 °C temperature. An activation level sufficient for useful application may be attained solely from high surface area; however, further chemical treatment often enhances adsorption properties.

Activated carbon is usually derived from charcoal.

Almost all materials containing high fixed carbon content can potentially be activated. The most

commonly used raw materials are coal (anthracite, bituminous and lignite), coconut shells, wood (both soft and hard), peat and petroleum based residues.

Many other raw materials have been evaluated such as walnut shells, peach pits, babassu nutshell and palm kernels but invariably their commercial limitation lies in raw material supply. This is illustrated by considering that 1,000 tons of untreated shell type raw material will only yield about 100 tons of good quality activated carbon.

Most carbonaceous materials do have a certain degree of porosity and an internal surface area in the range of 10-15 m2/g. During activation, the internal surface becomes more highly developed and extended by controlled oxidation of carbon atoms – usually achieved by the use of steam at high temperature.

After activation, the carbon will have acquired an internal surface area between 700 and 1,200 m2/g,

depending on the plant operating conditions.

The internal surface area must be accessible to the passage of a fluid or vapour if a potential for adsorption is to exist. Thus, it is necessary that an activated carbon has not only a highly developed internal surface but accessibility to that surface via a network of pores of differing diameters.

As a generalization, pore diameters are usually categorized as follows:

• microspores <40 Angstroms
• macrospores 40 – 5,000 Angstroms
• macrospores >5,000 Angstroms (typically 5000-20000 A)

During the manufacturing process, macrospores are first formed by the oxidation of weak points (edge groups) on the external surface area of the raw material. Macrospores are then formed and are, essentially, secondary channels formed in the walls of the macrospore structure. Finally, the microspores are formed by attack of the planes within the structure of the raw material.

All activated carbons contain microspores, macrospores, and macrospores within their structures but the relative proportions vary considerably according to the raw material.

A coconut shell based carbon will have a predominance of pores in the microspore range and these accounts for 95% of the available internal surface area. Such a structure has been found ideal for the adsorption of small molecular weight species and applications involving low contaminant concentrations.

 

 

In contrast wood and peat based carbons are predominantly meso/macropore structures and are, therefore, usually suitable for the adsorption of large molecular species. Such properties are used to advantage in decolourization processes.

Coal based carbons, depending on the type of coal used; contain pore structures somewhere between coconut shell and wood.

In general, it can be said that macrospores are of little value in their surface area, except for the adsorption of unusually large molecules and are, therefore, usually considered as an access point to microspores. Macrospores do not generally play a large role in adsorption, except in particular carbons where the surface area attributable to such pores is appreciable (usually 400 m2/g or more). Thus, it is the microspore structure of an activated carbon that is the effective means of adsorption. It is, therefore, important that activated carbon not be classified as a single product but rather a range of products suitable for a variety of specific applications.

 

What is history of Activated Carbon?

The first known use of activated carbon dates back to the Ancient Egyptians who utilized its adsorbent

properties for purifying oils and medicinal purposes. Centuries later, the early ocean-going vessels stored drinking water in wooden barrels, the inside of which had been charred. (However, by modern definition the carbon used in these applications could not truly be described as “activated”). By the early 19th century both wood and bone charcoal was in large-scale use for the decolourization and purification of cane sugar.

However, it was not until the beginning of the First World War that the potential of activated carbon was really capitalized upon. The advent of gas warfare necessitated the development of suitable respiratory devices for personnel protection. Granular activated carbon was used to this end as, indeed, it still is today.

 

 

By the late 1930’s there was considerable industrial-scale use of carbon for gaseous and liquid phase applications and new manufacturing processes had been developed to satisfy the needs of industry. During the 1939-1945 war, a further significant development took place – the production of more sophisticated chemically impregnated carbon for entrapment of both war and nerve gases.

Modern day uses of carbon are diverse, to say the least. Activated carbons, for instance, are used in consumer products such as refrigerator deodorizers and at the other end of the spectrum in high technology applications such as nuclear power plant containment systems.

Is Activated Carbon/carbon derived from coconut shell superior to other raw materials?

Yes and no.

A coconut shell based carbon will have a predominance of pores in the microspore range and these accounts for 95% of the available internal surface area. Such a structure has been found ideal for the adsorption of small molecular weight species and applications involving low contaminant concentrations.

 

 

In contrast, wood and peat based carbons are predominantly meso/macropore structures and are, therefore, usually suitable for the adsorption of large molecular species. Such properties are used to advantage in decolourization processes.

Coal based carbons, depending on the type of coal used; contain pore structures somewhere between coconut shell and wood.

 

How does absorption work with Activated Carbon?

Activated carbon can be considered as a material of phenomenal surface area made up of millions of pores – rather like a “molecular sponge”.  A gram of activated carbon can have a surface area in excess of 500 m2, with 1500 m2 being readily achievable.

The process by which such a surface concentrates fluid molecules by chemical and/or physical forces is known as adsorption (whereas, adsorption is a process whereby fluid molecules are taken up by a liquid or solid and distributed throughout that liquid or solid).

In the physical adsorption process, molecules are held by the carbon’s surface by weak forces known as Van Der Waals Forces resulting from intermolecular attraction. The carbon and the adsorbate are thus unchanged chemically.

In general terms, to affect adsorption it is necessary to present the molecule to be adsorbed to a pore of comparable size. In this way the attractive forces coupled with opposite wall effect will be at a maximum and should be greater than the energy of the molecule. For example, a fine pored coconut shell carbon has poor decolorizing properties because colour molecules tend to be larger molecular species and are thus denied access to a fine pore structure. In contrast, coconut shell carbons are particularly efficient in adsorbing small molecular species. Krypton and Xenon, for instance, are readily adsorbed by coconut shell carbon but readily desorbs from large pored carbons such as wood.

 

 

Maximum adsorption capacity is determined by the degree of liquid packing that can occur in the pores. In very high vapour pressures, multilayer adsorption can lead to capillary condensation even in mesopores (25A).

If adsorption capacity is plotted against pressure (for gases) or concentration (for liquids) at constant

temperature, the curve so produced is known as an ISOTHERM. Adsorption increases with increased pressure and also with increasing molecular weight, within a series of a chemical family. Thus, methane (CH4) is less easily adsorbed than propane (C3H8). This is a useful fact to remember when a particular system has a number of components. After equilibrium, it is generally found that, all else being equal; the higher molecular weight species of a multi-component system are preferentially adsorbed. Such a phenomenon is known as competitive or preferential adsorption – the initially adsorbed low molecular weight species desorbing from the surface and being replaced by higher molecular weight species.

Physical adsorption in the vapour phase is affected by certain external parameters such as temperature and pressure. The adsorption process is more efficient at lower temperatures and higher pressures since molecular species are less mobile under such conditions. Such an effect is also noticed in a system where moisture and an organic species are present. The moisture is readily accepted by the carbon surface but in time desorbs as the preferred organic molecules are selected by the surface. This usually occurs due to differences in molecular size but can be also attributable to the difference in molecular charge.

Generally speaking, carbon surfaces dislike any form of charge – since water is highly charged (ionic) relative to the majority of organic molecules the carbon would prefer the organic to be adsorbed. Primary amines possess less charge on the nitrogen atom than secondary amines that in turn have less than tertiary amines.

Thus, it is found that primary amines are more readily adsorbed than tertiary amines. High levels of adsorption can be expected if the adsorbate is a reasonably large bulky molecule with no charge, whereas a small molecule with high charge would not be expected to be easily adsorbed. Molecular shape also influences adsorption but this is usually of minor consideration.

In certain situations, regardless of how the operating conditions can be varied, some species will only be physically adsorbed to a low level. (Examples are ammonia, sulphur dioxide, hydrogen sulphide, and mercury vapour and methyl iodide). In such instances, the method frequently employed to enhance a carbon’s capability is to impregnate it with a particular compound that is chemically reactive towards the species required to be adsorbed.

Since carbon possesses such a large surface (a carbon granule the size of a “quarter” has a surface area in the order of ½ square mile!) coating of this essentially spreads out the impregnate over a vast area. This, therefore, greatly increases the chance of reaction since the adsorbate has a tremendous choice of reaction sites. When the adsorbate is removed in this way the effect is known as CHEMISORPTION.

Unlike physical adsorption the components of the system are changed chemically and the changed adsorbate chemically held by the carbon’s surface and adsorption in the original form is nonexistent. This principle is applied in many industries, particularly in the catalysis field, where the ability of a catalyst can be greatly increased by spreading it over a carbon surface.

 

What raw materials can be used to made carbon?

It has already been stated that essentially any carbonaceous material can potentially be activated.  The more common raw materials like wood (soft & hard), saw dust, mineral carbon, brown charcoal, borax, sodium nitrate an limestone. Others can include waste tires, phenol formaldehyde resin, rice husks, pulp mill residues, corn cobs, coffee beans and bones.

Present total annual world production capacity is estimated at 300,000 tons: available as granular, extruded or powdered product. Most of the developed nations have facilities to activate coconut shell, wood and coal. Third world countries have recently entered the industry and concentrate on readily available local raw materials such as wood and coconut shell.

Coconut shell contains about 75% volatile matter that is removed, largely at source by partial carbonization, to minimize shipping costs. The cellulose structure of the shell determines the end product characteristics, which (at 30-40% yield on the carbonized basis) is a material of very high internal surface area consisting of pores and capillaries of fine molecular dimensions. The ash content is normally low and composed mainly of alkalis and silica.

 

 

Coal is also a readily available and reasonably cheap raw material. The type of activate obtained depends on the type of coal used and its initial processing prior to carbonization and activation. It is normal procedure to grind the coal and reconstitute it into a form suitable for processing, by use of a binder such as pitch, before activation. (This is typical for extruded or palletised carbon). An alternative method is to grind the coal and utilize its volatile content to fuse the powder together in the form of a briquette. This method allows for blending of selected materials to control the swelling power of the coals and prevents coking. If the coal is allowed to “coke” it leads to the production of an activate with an unacceptably high proportion of large pores. Blending of coals also allows a greater degree of control over the structure and properties of the final product.

Wood may be activated by one of two methods, i.e. steam or chemical activation, depending on the desired product. A common chemical activator is phosphoric acid, which produces a char with a large surface area suitable for decolourisation applications. The carbon is usually supplied as a finely divided powder which since produced from waste materials such as sawdust, is relatively cheap and can be used on a “throw-away” basis.

Since activated carbon is manufactured from naturally occurring raw materials, its properties will obviously be variable. In order to minimize variability it is necessary to be very selective in raw material source and quality and practice a high level of manufacturing quality control.

 

How is it Activated Carbon manufactured?

Activated carbon can be produced by taking normal charcoal and using either steam or chemical activation, both of which require the use of elevated temperature.

It can be produced by one of the following processes, although our supplier uses on the 1^st:

1. Physical reactivation: The source material is developed into activated carbons using hot gases. This is generally done by using one or a combination of the following processes:

• Carbonization: Material with carbon content is pyrolyzed at temperatures in the range 600–900 °C, in absence of oxygen (usually in inert atmosphere with gases like argon or nitrogen)
• Activation/Oxidation: Raw material or carbonized material is exposed to oxidizing atmospheres (carbon dioxide, oxygen, or steam) at temperatures above 250 °C, usually in the temperature range of 600–1200 °C.

2. Chemical activation: Prior to carbonization, the raw material is impregnated with certain chemicals. The chemical is typically an acid, strong base, or a salt [2] (phosphoric acid, potassium hydroxide, sodium hydroxide, calcium chloride, and zinc chloride 25%). Then, the raw material is carbonized at lower temperatures (450–900 °C). It is believed that the carbonization / activation step proceeds simultaneously with the chemical activation. Chemical activation is preferred over physical activation owing to the lower temperatures and shorter time needed for activating material.

The use of steam for activation can be applied to virtually all raw materials.

A variety of methods have been developed but all of these share the same basic principle of initial carbonization at 500-600 degrees C followed by activation with steam at 800-1,100 degrees C.

Since the overall reaction (converting carbon to carbon dioxide) is exothermic it is possible to utilize this energy and have a self-sustaining process.

• C + H2O (steam) —> CO + H2 (-31 Kcal)
• CO + ½ O2 —> CO2 (+67 Kcal)
• H2 + ½ O2 —> H2O (steam) (+58 Kcal)
• C + O2 —> CO2 (+94 Kcal)

 

 

A number of different types of kilns and furnaces can be used for carbonization/activation and include rotary (fired directly or indirectly), vertical multi-hearth furnaces, fluidized bed reactors and vertical single throat retorts. Each manufacturer has specific preferences.

As an example, production of activated carbon using a vertical retort is described below.

Raw material is introduced through a hopper on top of the retort and falls under gravity through a central duct towards the activation zone. As the raw material moves slowly down the retort the temperature increases to 800-1000 degrees C and full carbonization takes place.

The activation zone, at the bottom of the retort, covers only a small part of the total area available and it is here that steam activation takes place. Air is bled into the furnace to convert the product gases, CO and H2 into CO2 and steam which, because of the exothermic nature of this reaction, reheats the firebricks on the downside of the retort, enabling the process to be self-supporting.

Every 15 minutes or so, the steam injection point is alternated to utilize the “in situ” heating provided by the product gas combustion. The degree of activation (or quality) of the product is determined by the residence time in the activation zone.

 

The resulting product is in the form of 1” to 3” pieces and requires further processing before being suitable for its various end uses. This entails a series of crushing and screening operations to produce specific mesh ranges.

Certain products may undergo further processing such as drying, acid washing or chemical impregnation to satisfy particular requirements.

 

How is the carbon’s capacity measured?

There are several methods used for calculating absorption capacity, we will summarise three but these are by no means all of the possible methods.

James Dewar, the scientist after whom the Dewar (vacuum flask) is named, spent much time studying activated carbon and published a paper regarding its absorption capacity with regard to gases.[5] In this paper, he discovered that cooling the carbon to liquid nitrogen temperatures allowed it to absorb significant quantities of numerous air gases, among others, that could then be recollected by simply allowing the carbon to warm again and that coconut based carbon was superior for the effect. He uses oxygen as an example, wherein the activated carbon would typically adsorb the atmospheric concentration (21%) under standard conditions, but release over 80% oxygen if the carbon was first cooled to low temperatures.

Another widely used method is to measure the carbon’s capacity to adsorb carbon tetrachloride (referred to as CTC) and express this as a w/w %. This is determined by flowing CTC laden air through a sample of carbon of known weight, under standard conditions, until constant weight is achieved. The apparatus essentially consists of a means to control the supply of air pressure, produce a specified concentration of CTC and control the flow rate of the air/CTC mixture through the sample. The weight of CTC adsorbed is referred to as the carbon’s % CTC activity. However, this test does not necessarily provide an absolute or relative measure of the effectiveness of the carbon for other adsorbents or under different conditions. CTC activity is now universally accepted as a means of specifying the degree of activation or quality of activated carbon. Commercially available carbons range from 20% to 90% CTC activity.

Activated carbon does adsorb iodine very well and in fact the iodine number, mg/g, (ASTM D28 Standard Method test) is used as an indication of total surface area.

 

How is the surface area calculated?

The internal surface area of a carbon is usually determined by the BET method (Brunauer, Emmett and Teller). This method utilizes the low-pressure range of the adsorption isotherm of a molecule of known dimensions (usually nitrogen). This region of the isotherm is generally attributed to monolayer adsorption.

Thus, by assuming the species is adsorbed only one molecule deep on the carbon’s surface, the surface area may be calculated using the equation:

• XmNA
• S = M
• S = specific surface in m2/g
• Xm = sorption value (weight of adsorbed N2 divided by weight of carbon sample)
• N = Avagadro’s Number, 6.025 E+23
• A = cross-sectional area of nitrogen molecule in angstroms
• M = molecular weight of nitrogen

 

 

Most manufacturers will specify the surface area of their products but as with CTC activity, it that does not necessarily provide a measure of their effectiveness, merely demonstrating their degree of activation.

 

What is the Mesh Size?

The physical size, or mesh size, of a carbon must be considered in relation to the flow rate in the system it is to be used. Naturally, the smaller the carbon’s mesh size, the greater its resistance to flow. Thus, it is usual to select the smallest mesh size carbon that will satisfy the pressure drop limitations of the system.

 

What is the ash content?

Ash content is less important except where the carbon is used as a catalyst support since certain constituents of the ash may interfere or destroy the action of precious metal catalysts. Ash content also influences the ignition point of the carbon—this may be a major consideration where adsorption of certain solvents is concerned.

 

 

How to the different properties inter-relate?

There is a relationship between BET surface area and CTC adsorption and this is taken into account when specifications are formulated. CTC activity, density and ash content are interrelated and provide a simple means of manufacturing control.

As quality, or degree of activation increases, CTC activity and ash content increase and density decreases.

 

 

Furthermore, CTC activity being equal, coconut carbons show higher density and lower ash content than coal based carbons. Wood based carbons show much lower density than either coal or coconut carbons but ash contents midway between coal and coconut carbons.

Thus, these properties are not only a means of controlling quality during manufacture but may also assist in determining the raw material and quality of an unknown carbon.

CTC activity, density, hardness, mesh size and raw material information will enable selection of a suitable carbon for most common applications (excepting those utilizing chemisorptions as the prime mechanism).

Our supplier has a dedicated testing team that systematically test samples to ensure consistent quality, refer to our product brochures for detailed specifications.

 

 

Where can I find more information about charcoal made from coconut shell?

Wikipedia coconuts – http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coconut
Wikipedia charcoal – http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charcoal
Wikipedia Activated Carbon – http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Activated_carbon
The Gold Standard Foundation – www.cdmgoldstandard.org/
The Carbon Farming Initiative – www.climatechange.gov.au
British Carbon Group – http://www.britishcarbon.org
Activated Carbon Consortium – http://www.reachactivatedcarbon.eu