Activated carbon: Production route
Coconut, coal or wood: why the raw material matters
What this tab covers How it is made: the main production routes or, for product families, the main product types and technologies, compared on share of supply, inputs per tonne, plant scale, yield, co-products and unit cost.Three raw materials and two activation methods dominate. Coconut shell charcoal activated with steam gives hard, microporous carbon ideal for drinking water, gold and gas uses. Coal-based carbons, made from bituminous coal or lignite with steam, are larger in volume, cheaper and suit water and flue gas mercury. Wood and other biomass activated chemically with phosphoric acid give mesoporous carbons for decolourising sugar and chemicals. Thermal reactivation of spent carbon is a fourth, growing source of supply.
Routes compared
| Route | Share of supply | Inputs per tonne | Typical scale | Yield | Co-products | Unit cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Coconut-shell steam activation | a large share of granular carbon; Sri Lanka, India, Philippines and Indonesia are the main sources (indicative) | about 2-3 t shell charcoal per t activated carbon; steam; kiln off-gas burnt for heat (indicative) | 3,000-20,000 t/yr typical plants (IMARC) | about 30-50% on charcoal (indicative) | waste heat for steam or power (IMARC) | shell charcoal is 40-50% of operating cost; raw materials 50-60%; power, steam and fuel 20-28% (IMARC) |
| Coal-based steam activation | the largest share by volume (indicative) | about 2.5-3.5 t coal per t carbon (indicative) | 20-100 kt/yr plants (indicative) | about 30-40% on coal (indicative) | off-gas burnt for heat | lower than coconut (Indonesian coconut carbon at $1,300-2,200/t in 2025 shows the range) (indicative) |
| Chemical activation of wood with phosphoric acid | a minority, specialised for food and canisters (indicative) | wood plus phosphoric acid, mostly recycled (indicative) | 10-50 kt/yr (indicative) | about 40-50% on dry wood (indicative) | recovered acid | not published |
| Thermal reactivation of spent carbon | growing; not published | spent carbon plus fuel; about 10-15% mass loss per cycle (indicative) | 10-50 kt/yr centres (indicative) | about 85-90% (indicative) | destroyed contaminants in off-gas (PFAS destruction needs high temperatures) | usually below virgin carbon (indicative) |
How each route works
Coconut-shell steam activationShell charcoal from village pits or kilns is crushed and activated with steam in rotary kilns. The product is hard, low in ash and rich in micropores. Haycarb (Sri Lanka), Jacobi, Kuraray and many Indian and Philippine producers run this route.
High quality and renewable feed; supply limited by coconut output and charcoal collection.
IMARC (2026); ICC (2025) Coal-based steam activationBituminous coal, anthracite or lignite is pulverised, briquetted, carbonised and steam-activated in large rotary kilns or multiple-hearth furnaces. Calgon Carbon (Kuraray) in the US and many producers in Ningxia and Shanxi, China make it.
Large scale and cheap; high fossil CO2 per tonne.
Indicative Chemical activation of wood with phosphoric acidSawdust or wood chips are impregnated with phosphoric acid and heated to about 400-600 C; the acid is washed out and recovered. Gives mesoporous powders and granules for sugar, food and automotive canisters. Ingevity and Norit use this route.
Lower temperature and good pore structure for liquids; acid handling.
Indicative Thermal reactivation of spent carbonSpent granular carbon from water and gas treatment is collected and heated in kilns to burn off adsorbed organics, restoring most of its capacity. Calgon, Jacobi, Evoqua and Puragen run reactivation services; it is key for PFAS beds.
Circular and lower carbon; needs collection logistics and care with hazardous adsorbates.
Indicative Unit economics are indicative ranges from the sources named; costs move with feedstock and energy prices, plant size and region.