Chapter 5: Activated Carbon for Environmental Applications

Since the beginning of this century, one of the biggest issues has been the growing concern about the conservation of natural resources. Along with the rise in global population, there has been a corresponding rise in garbage production, which has contaminated the environment more. Lately, activated carbon (AC) with better-evolved porosities has been used for the adsorption of environmental contaminants. When pollutants such as medicinal drugs, dyes, mercury, cadmium, lead, and chromium enter water streams, they are regarded as dangerous contaminants because they may affect both people and other living things. Water treatment, removal of organic and inorganic pollutants from the environment, cleaning up of oil spills, gas storage, the pharmaceutical industry, and environmental decontamination techniques are just a few of the numerous applications for AC. This chapter's objective is to concentrate on the environmental applications of AC using a literature review as support.