Wet activated carbon
Adsorption by wet activated carbon takes advantage of the large surface of activated carbon which, depending upon the type of carbon concerned, is between 400 and 1600 m²/g. As the contaminated water flows through the activated carbon bed, the contaminants attach to its surface, a process known as adsorption.
Used activated carbon is reactivated by the manufacturer in an officially approved plant and can be applied again. It is only in exceptional cases, e.g., when highly contaminated by pesticides, that reactivation is impossible. In any case, the contaminated carbon is disposed of in a proper and ecologically compatible way. In addition, by recycling the activated carbon, treatment costs are kept low.
Experience has shown that even at sites with initially high hydrogen contamination levels it has been possible to reduce pollutant concentration rather quickly. The longer a plant is operated at a particular site, the fewer contaminants are contained in the water flowing through the activated carbon filters. This translates into long activated-carbon life cycles and a positive effect on operating costs.
When treating water at construction sites it is normally not necessary to exchange the activated carbon for several months.
Activated carbon plants are easy to operate and guarantee one hundred percent availability.