activated carbon

American  

noun

Chemistry.

1. a form of carbon having very fine pores: used chiefly for adsorbing gases or solutes, as in various filter systems for purification, deodorization, and decolorization.

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activated carbon British  

noun

1. Also called: activated charcoal.   active carbon.  a porous highly adsorptive form of carbon used to remove colour or impurities from liquids and gases, in the separation and extraction of chemical compounds, and in the recovery of solvents

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Etymology

Origin of activated carbon

First recorded in 1920–25

Example Sentences

Many standard approaches rely on adsorption, meaning the chemicals stick to materials such as activated carbon or ion-exchange resins.

From Science Daily • Dec. 25, 2025

In June of this year, Nestle Waters was fined more than $610,000 in Switzerland for having used activated carbon filters on its Henniez bottled mineral water.

From Barron's • Nov. 18, 2025

“The most studied filtration method for this is activated carbon adsorption,” Campbell said.

From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 22, 2024

Filters containing activated carbon or reverse osmosis membranes can remove the compounds.

From Seattle Times • Jul. 5, 2023

In 2006, the town of Oakdale, Minnesota, added an activated carbon treatment step to its water system.

From Salon • Mar. 19, 2023