The production of activated carbon is divided into two steps: carbonization and activation. Carbonization is the process of heating raw materials under isolated air conditions. Carbonization can decompose raw materials into gases such as water vapor, carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, hydrogen, etc. At the same time, it can break down raw materials into fragments and combine them into stable structures. Activation is the process of heating carbonized materials under oxidative conditions, typically using water vapor as the oxidant.

After high-temperature carbonization activation, activated carbon has stable chemical properties, is resistant to strong acids and alkalis, can withstand the effects of water immersion, high temperature, and high pressure, and is not easily broken.

If the pore size of activated carbon is mainly micropores, it has a good effect on gas-phase or liquid-phase materials with high molecular weight and low molecular weight. If the mesopores and micropores of activated carbon are well-developed, activated carbon is suitable for adsorbing substances with larger molecular weight and diameter in the liquid phase.

In water treatment, the molecular diameter of adsorbents is much larger than that of gas-phase adsorption, so activated carbon used in water treatment requires appropriate proportions of macropores, mesopores, and developed micropores.

In specific wastewater treatment, the larger the specific surface area and pore size of activated carbon, the better its decolorization, deodorization, and COD reduction effects. So in water treatment, choosing to use activated carbon with a mesh size of around 300 can result in greater savings.