Recent Advances in Applied Activated Carbon Research

Dear Colleagues,

The sustainable, effective and cost-efficient treatment of liquids and gases has become a challenge in many sectors, such as in water utilities and in the oil and gas industry. Advanced processing technologies with innovative materials such as activated carbon and biochar have become more attractive in modern water, environmental and chemical engineering applications. One example is the application of activated carbon filters for the fourth treatment stage in water treatment plants to remove per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (known as PFAS).

Today, like never before, questions arise regarding the quality of the activated carbon product’s surface after its development and enhancement via additive manufacturing methods such as coatings for the targeted removal of specific chemicals. Therefore, the creation of efficient carbon molecular sieve membranes is an example of a real challenge in industry.

Fundamental challenges with the thermal decomposition and mechanical destruction of innovative multicomponent carbon-based materials and coatings need to be addressed to move the science and industry forward. In addition, the issues of in situ monitoring, diagnostics and improvements to the performance of sustainable technologies, such as biological regeneration methods, deserve special attention.

The latest achievements regarding the advanced processing technologies of innovative carbon-based materials have become a relevant topic in the most authoritative scientific journals. In addition, progressive achievements have received awards at prestigious competitions and at international scientific events. Moreover, the activated carbon industry has also discovered the use of more sustainable materials and their contribution to the sustainable development goals as additional performance indicators to adjust their sourcing strategy and energy-intensive production processes.

This Special Issue is devoted to the most recent advances and achievements in the field of applied activated carbon research. Welcome are contributions to novel application technologies such as more sustainable adsorbers and multi-stage fluidized bed reactors, as well as the biological regeneration of activated carbon and new products including biochars and carbon molecular sieve membranes. Clean product development methods and strategies in chemical, water and biogas engineering are welcome, and environmental monitoring methods and the results of the water and gas phases are of interest.

The Special Issue will have two sections: fundamentals and recent research advances. In section one, a third of the articles may comprise teaching papers, handbooks, short communications from the community and review articles to explain the basic applications, technologies, processes, methods and material characteristics to readers from different backgrounds. The other two thirds of the articles should be technical and full research papers focusing on advanced topics characterized by the keywords found below.

You may choose our Joint Special Issue in Technologies and Joint Special Issue in Clean Technologies.

Yours sincerely,

Prof. Dr. Miklas Scholz
Guest Editor

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• activated carbon
• application technology
• biochar and biogas
• biological regeneration of activated carbon
• bioreactor
• business development
• carbon-based materials and carbon molecular sieve membrane
• chemical engineering and clean technologies
• design of adsorbers; environmental monitoring
• gas phase and material science
• multi-stage fluidized bed reactor
• novel technologies
• PFASS and reactivation
• sustainable development
• trinkwasser and water phase