Activated carbon is used extensively for purification purposes in the production of a wide range of industrial liquid chemicals and pharmaceutical compounds.
Typical applications include the purification of amino acids, biodiesel, glycerine, mineral acids and active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs). Solvent recovery is also an important application for activated carbon, either in the chemical/petrochemical industry or in printing and ink/dye production facilities.
Other uses for activated carbon in the petrochemical industry include amine and glycol purification, removing contaminants from gas scrubber systems.
Activated carbons are used either in a powder (PAC) form, and dosed in a batch process, or used in a granular form (GAC) in a fixed bed adsorber. As well as being useful for the main manufacturing process, carbons may also be used for the recovery of off-spec materials, or for the improvement of product purity levels to allow the sale of a higher-grade end-product.
CPL Activated Carbons offers a broad range of powdered (PAC) and granular (GAC) carbons, including high purity acid washed variants, plus mobile carbon filters, for use in liquid chemicals and pharmaceutical purification processes.
In the production and processing of liquid chemicals and pharmaceutical compounds, whether bulk commodities, specialist fine chemicals or active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs), filtration using activated carbon frequently plays an important role.
From the purification of raw materials, dechlorination of process water or the filtration intermediate or finished products, activated carbons are widely used in this sector for the production of these products. In addition, environmental protection associated with the manufacture of chemical and pharmaceutical products is an important application for carbon filtration, whether for the abatement of gas phase contaminants, or for wastewater/effluent treatment.
The use of expensive solvents in a production process may require the use of specialised activated carbons for solvent recovery purposes, as well as the adsorption of any volatile organic compounds (VOCs) that may be released by the process.
Some specific examples of carbon applications in the chemical and pharmaceutical industries are shown below:
– Amine purification
– Liquid chemicals purification
– Glycerine purification
– Pharmaceuticals purification
– Medical applications (carbon tablets)
– Veterinary applications
– Solvent recovery
– Catalyst applications
– VOC abatement
– Odour control systems
– Process water treatment
– Industrial wastewater treatment
– Personal protection respirators
Activated Carbons
– Activated carbons based on wood, coconut shell and coal are all available from CPL and we will use our extensive application knowledge and experience to help customers select the most suitable purification system for their particular process conditions and treatment objectives.
– For solvent recovery, we offer a high activity and high strength coal-based pellet, such as FiltraCarb® EX74
Services
– Depending on the nature and chemical composition of the liquid chemical to be purified, CPL may be able to offer one of its Clean-Flo® AquaSorber® liquid phase mobile filters to customers in these sectors. These range in size from 180 litre drums up to large 22m3 truck-based systems.
– Site Services, including carbon/filter installation and spent carbon removal/changeout.
– Reactivation of spent carbons at our UK ‘amber’ regeneration facility, subject to our Carbon Acceptance procedure.
Related Applications
– Edible Oil Purification
– Food & Beverage
– Water Treatment