Powdered Activated Carbon
Fine, high-surface-area powders for rapid adsorption kinetics — ideal for batch dosing, decolorization, taste & odour control and emergency treatment.
Powdered Activated Carbon (PAC)
PAC particles are ground to 100–325 mesh for maximum external surface and rapid adsorption. It is dosed directly into liquids or slurries for fast purification without fixed-bed equipment.
Definition: powdered activated carbon (PAC) is granular carbon milled to a fine powder — typically 100–325 mesh — so that surface area becomes the limiting factor, not particle size. Typical surface areas run 800–1,200 m²/g (BET), and a typical PAC carries an iodine value of 800–1100 mg/g. It is the fastest-acting format for batch dosing, decolorization and emergency treatment, with dosing usually measured in 5–50 mg/L depending on the contaminant load.
Rapid Kinetics, Flexible Dosing
Powdered activated carbon is the workhorse of emergency and seasonal treatment: it can be added on demand, in the exact quantity required, and removed after contact time. It excels at removing colour, taste, odour, TOC and micropollutants in water, food and chemical processes.
Food and pharmaceutical grades are manufactured with low insolubles, acid-washing and de-ashing options, and are available with NSF, KOSHER, HALAL and FDA-compliance documentation.
- ✓Custom particle-size distribution (PSD) curves
- ✓Slurry-ready and pre-wetted options
- ✓Low-insoluble food and pharma grades
- ✓Acid-washed / de-ashed on request
Typical Applications
- Taste & odour control in drinking water
- Decolorization of sugars, syrups and oils
- Pharma & fine chemical purification
- COD / TOC reduction in wastewater
- Soil remediation & sediment treatment
- Emergency response / spill treatment
Packaging
- 15 / 25 kg bags
- 500 kg jumbo bags
- Big-bag with liner, custom packing
Typical Specifications
Indicative values — final parameters are matched to your application. Custom PSD, iodine and purity available.
| Parameter | Typical Range |
|---|---|
| Particle size | 100–200 mesh · 200–325 mesh · custom PSD |
| Iodine value | 800 – 1100 mg/g |
| Surface area (BET) | 800 – 1200 m²/g (typical) |
| Methylene blue | 150 – 300 mg/g (wood grades higher) |
| Moisture (as packed) | ≤ 8% |
| Ash content | ≤ 3 – 15% by base and grade |
| Water-soluble matter | Low / low-insoluble options |
| pH | Acidic, neutral or alkaline by grade |
| Bases | Coal-based · Wood-based · Coconut shell |
| Options | Acid-washed · De-ashed · Food/pharma · Slurry-ready |
Related Products
Frequently Asked Questions
Standard PAC runs 100–200 or 200–325 mesh. Finer powder (200–325) reacts faster but is harder to filter; coarser (100–200) is easier to handle in batch dosing. Custom PSD is available.
Typical dosing is 5–50 mg/L of liquid, but the right dose depends on the contaminant and target level. Send us your liquid matrix and target, and we will recommend a dose and run a lab jar test if needed.
Yes — acid-washed, de-ashed, food/pharma and slurry-ready options are all available, with a COA on every batch.
PAC is dosed as a fine powder into the liquid, contacted for a short time, then removed — there is no fixed bed, so doses are easy to adjust (typically 5–50 mg/L) but the powder is usually used once. GAC sits in a fixed or moving bed, contacts the stream continuously, and can be regenerated. In a gold plant, granular 6×12 mesh carbon with iodine 1000–1300 mg/g is the standard for CIP/CIL circuits, with make-up around 20–100 g per tonne of ore; PAC is rarely used there because fine powder cannot be screened, eluted and regenerated in the same way. In a water plant, PAC suits seasonal taste-and-odour events and emergency dosing, while GAC handles continuous treatment.
Coal vs Wood vs Coconut PAC
YELI Carbon supplies all three bases. Typical industry ranges: Wood-based PAC has the highest pore volume and methylene blue values, ideal for decolorization. Coal-based PAC is the workhorse for water treatment at lower cost. Coconut shell PAC offers low ash and high purity, preferred where consistency matters.
| Property | Coal-based | Wood-based | Coconut shell |
|---|---|---|---|
| Iodine value | 800–1000 mg/g | 700–1100 mg/g | 900–1100 mg/g |
| Methylene blue | 150–200 mg/g | 200–300 mg/g | 150–250 mg/g |
| Ash content | 8–15% | 3–8% | ≤ 3–5% |
| pH options | Neutral–alkaline (6–11) | Acidic–neutral (4–7) | Wide (5–11), near-neutral low-ash grades |
| Typical use | Municipal water, wastewater COD/TOC | Decolorization of sugars, syrups, oils | Food/pharma, taste & odour, purity-critical |
| Relative cost | Lowest | Mid-range | Highest |
About YELI Carbon: we manufacture from our own factory in Longyan, Fujian, China (20+ years, 10,000 m² plant, two activation furnaces). Hardness is tested by the ASTM D3802 ball-pan method, and every batch ships with a COA stating iodine value, hardness, moisture, ash and particle size — the test method is on the certificate.
Need PAC for a Specific Process?
Share your liquid matrix, target contaminant and dose expectations — we will recommend the right base and particle size.