Production, application and market of activated carbon in Brazil: a review

ABSTRACT Activated carbon (AC) is a carbonaceous material used to adsorb and remove pollutants. One of the requirements for the material to be considered a precursor in the AC production is its high levels of carbon. Therefore, a promising alternative for the use of forest biomass and its residues would be the application of these materials as precursors in the AC production. Owing to the productive capacity of activated carbon in Brazil and the considerable availability of forest biomass, the objective of the study was to approach the production and market of activated carbon in Brazil. This study is a bibliographic review focused on the use of forest resources for the AC production. AC production occurs by three methods: physical, chemical and physico-chemical activation. At the national level, the main production method is the physical one, since it has the least cost. However, the Sector still requires the researches and technologies aimed at the standardisation and improvements in the whole production chain.