The use and analysis of new and existing biomass derived activated carbon in novel application testing for new and existing market entry

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CPL Industries Limited is the UK's market leader in the manufacture and supply of coal and biomass based smokeless solid fuels used in domestic heating. Alongside this core business area and more recently CPL have a fast-growing activated carbon division. CPL also have an experienced R&D team covering both these business areas. CPL Activated Carbons are part of CPL Industries ltd and is a division that is responsible for the purchase, regeneration and sale of activated carbon for a wide range of industrial applications covering areas in UK, Europe and most recently America. The large majority of activated carbon currently purchased is coal based and is imported from China (95%) with the balance from Australia. CPL's R&D division have and are developing new biomass derived activated carbons (both using physical and chemical activation) that require direct comparison to carbons currently available in the market today.The challenge is to achieve significant understanding of the key properties and characteristics of the activated carbons provided such as pore structure and pore surface chemistry. This knowledge is to be transferred into new and existing final application testing in lab, pilot and potentially industrial scale for existing and potentially new emerging markets. The methods for this application testing will be developed in-house by yourself and assisted by CPL R&D and activated carbons division. The new biomass carbons will need to be compared to current existing carbons in terms of performance, cost and sustainability. One main focus of the project will be investigating activated carbon performance for the removal of micropollutants in waste water and drinking water. The project will begin with activated carbon characteristics using a range of equipment such as the micro metrics surface and porosity measurement, thermo gravimetric analysis and elemental analysis. The carbon will be a mixture of carbons currently available in the market but also new carbons produced by the CPL R&D team. These carbons and potential carbon blends will be tested on a purpose made experimental process that can simulate industrial style carbon filters. Water containing micropollutants will be self-made or brought in from real industrial water treatment sites. Once the method and experimental procedure has been determined the water and spent carbon analysis can take place. LC analysis will be used to determine remaining micropollutant remaining in the water. Novel aspects of the project are determining the pore structure and surface chemistry required to efficiently and effectively remove a range of the main micropollutants from the water and also new biomass derived activated carbon testing.There could also be other new opportunities that arise during the early stages of the project where carbon analysis can play a big role in determining the adsorption potential of other contaminants across other industries.