Differences Between Activated Carbon And "normal" Carbon

[FcF]

What are the differences between them?
thanks!

 

[WILDER]

Both the same I think.
Carbon activated once it soaked in water.

 

[FcF]

Both the same I think.
Carbon activated once it soaked in water.

thanks.

 

[Ace Of Spades]

I googled it and found this:

Activated carbon, also called activated charcoal or activated coal, is a general term that includes carbon material mostly derived from charcoal. By any name, it is a material with an exceptionally high surface area.

Graphite, on the other hand, is one of the allotropes of carbon. It is a form of carbon that occurs in three different types of ore deposit

from http/answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qi...28092258AAjEYZ6

 

[The-Wolf]

just thought I'd add a link that shows how activated carbon works
http/www.cee.vt.edu/ewr/environmental/te...n/sketcarb.html

 

[FcF]

just thought I'd add a link that shows how activated carbon works
[URL="http/www.cee.vt.edu/ewr/environmental/te...n/sketcarb.html"]http/www.cee.vt.edu/ewr/environmental/te...n/sketcarb.html[/URL]

quite technical but thanks!

 

[Bignose]

I googled it and found this:

Activated carbon, also called activated charcoal or activated coal, is a general term that includes carbon material mostly derived from charcoal. By any name, it is a material with an exceptionally high surface area.

Graphite, on the other hand, is one of the allotropes of carbon. It is a form of carbon that occurs in three different types of ore deposit

from <a href="http/answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qi...28092258AAjEYZ6" target="_blank">http/answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qi...28092258AAjEYZ6</a>

The exceptionally high surface area is one of the main characteristics of what makes carbon "activated" Another is that its active sites will either be empty or only be very weakly bonded to something so that when a more attractive molecule comes along, it will displace that previously weakly bonded molecule.

All carbon is reactive -- it's the nature of the atom. But, the real key is making it have high surface area and lots of available bonding sites. For example, the charcoal briquettes used for bar-b-que grilling is almost exactly the same thing as the activated carbon -- but it has much less surface area because it is compacted down into a large briquette. This is done on purpose so that it burns at roughly a constant temperature for a fairly long time. By comparison, the granules bought at the LFS have probably more than 100 times as much surface area than a single briquette for a given mass of charcoal, maybe even 1000 times.

 

[FcF]

so are all carbon sold for fishkeeping, activated carbon?

 

[Bignose]

so are all carbon sold for fishkeeping, activated carbon?

I think that any carbon sold in an LFS or pet store is activated carbon -- there isn't really any other use of it that I know of.

Now, one caveat it that not all activated carbon is the same. Some activated carbon is made from wood, some is made from coconut shells, some is made from coal. And, their adsorption characteristics are not all the same. There isn't any real way to predict what carbon will be best -- even the professional who buy "laboratory" grade activated carbon once in a while get a batch that just doesn't work right and there isn't any real way of telling before hand.

 

[FcF]

how come some are advertised as phosphate/nitrate free but some aren't?
is this another process?

 

[Dorkhedeos]

so are all carbon sold for fishkeeping, activated carbon?

I think that any carbon sold in an LFS or pet store is activated carbon -- there isn't really any other use of it that I know of.

Activated carbon is also infused into fibers of many brands of hunting clothing. It is known as Scent-Lok and its supposed to mask your scent so animals cannot detect you.

 

[Bignose]

Right, Dorkhedeos, but how many LFSs or pet stores sell clothing for hunters? That's why I put the qualifier "... sold in an LFS or pet store" If the question is other uses for activated carbon, I know lots. But, I don't know of any other use in a fish-related area.

 

[Dorkhedeos]

Oooh, I see haha, my bad