02/26/2007 - Activated Carbon Adsorption (2005)
by Roop Chand Bansal and Meenakshi Goyal

Activated Carbon Adsorption provides a thorough and well documented discussion of activated carbon surface chemistry. The book includes references spanning more than a century and frames discussion of the literature in an appropriate historical context. It was written by Roop Chand Bansal and Meenakshi Goyal, both from the Department of Chemical Engineering and Technology at Panjab University in Chandigarh, India. The authors have published extensively in the field of adsorption with this being Bansal's third book on the subject and Goyal's second.

Visually, the book is rather bland and probably will not catch you attention on the shelf. Do not let the gray cover fool you, however; a quick thumb through the book reveals numerous charts, graphs, and diagrams that break up the text into manageable blocks. The book is generally well organized with a descriptive table of contents and both a subject and an author index. The book does, unfortunately, contain a number of spelling and grammatical errors that are distracting at times.

The book is organized into eight chapters. The first three chapters cover such topics as the surface structure and properties of carbons, isotherm equations and applicability, and characteristics of gas and aqueous phase sorption phenomena. This material, while well presented, is less interesting to this reviewer as it is more theory-oriented than application driven. Chapter four, however, provided an interesting discussion on carbon molecular sieves.

Chapters 5–8 are by far the most thought provoking chapters as they discuss various applications for activated carbons. Chapter five focuses on applications for activated carbon in such industries as food processing, alcoholic beverage preparation, gold and silver mining, and nuclear energy. As an avid homebrewer, the discussion regarding the use of active carbons to improve the flavor of beer and wine is most intriguing. This chapter in particular provides a great overview of the impact activated carbons have on our everyday life. The authors could certainly expand on this theme in a later book.

Considerable space in the book is given to the role of activated carbons in industrial processes. As our understanding of the environmental mpact of pharmaceuticals, semiconductors, automobiles, food processing, and countless other industries grows, so does our scientific interest in the field of surface chemistry; and for good reason. Chapter six of the book deals with the removal of inorganic contaminants from water and chapter seven deals with the removal of organic contaminants from water. Chapter eight discusses the removal of hazardous gases and vapors from industrial streams. The book provides an extensive review of activated carbon removal of copper, VOC's, TCE , and mercury; however, was lacking in its discussion of arsenic removal. In light of recent interest in arsenic, I was surprised (and somewhat relieved) more attention was not diverted to this subject. Overall, this book does an excellent job of describing both the current and future role of activated carbon in mitigating environmental problems.

This book is most appropriate for graduate students and faculty active in carbon adsorption research, although it may also make an appropriate textbook for graduate students with previous knowledge of sorption phenomena. It is a useful reference tool as it compiles a vast amount of scattered information into one book. The authors go out of their way to highlight research needs and directions in the field of activated carbon and provide relevant photos, equations, and tables in each chapter. Whether you are an aspiring scientist, or a seasoned researcher, the depth and breadth of information in this book make it a must read.




For more on Active Carbon Adsorption, visit the CRC Press web site.