Selection guide

Which activated carbon for which contaminant

Choosing an adsorbent starts with the contaminant, not the product code. This table maps each contaminant to the grades that target it, the mechanism that removes it, and the specification parameter that actually governs performance.

How to read this Physical adsorption holds a molecule in the pore structure and is broadly reversible. Chemisorption converts the contaminant into something else and generally is not — those beds are changed out rather than regenerated. Impregnated grades almost always carry higher capacity for their target contaminant and lower capacity for everything else.

Hydrogen sulfide · H₂S

Biogas · wastewater · natural gas · also called sour gas, sewer odor

Physical adsorption on a re-agglomerated carbon, or caustic/metal-oxide impregnation that converts H₂S to a retained sulfur salt. Impregnated grades carry far higher capacity but are consumed rather than regenerated.

Grades that target hydrogen sulfide
Grade	Form	Impregnation	Specification
SURSORB CAG	Pellet (re-agglomerated)	None — virgin carbon	View →
SURSORB PAG-10	Pellet (cylindrical)	Impregnated — 10% min loading	View →
SURSORB ALKA	Granular	Alkaline — chemistry not disclosed	View →
SURSORB P-ALKA	Pellet (cylindrical)	Alkaline — chemistry not disclosed	View →
SURSORB MAG	Pellet	Magnesium oxide (MgO)	View →

Specify on: H₂S capacity in g/cc, and impregnation loading %

Mercury · Hg

Natural gas · by-product hydrogen · also called elemental and organic mercury

Sulfur-impregnated carbon chemically converts mercury to mercuric sulfide, which is retained in the pore structure. Not reversible — the bed is changed out, not regenerated.

Grades that target mercury
Grade	Form	Impregnation	Specification
SURSORB GG-Hg	Granular	Chemical impregnant — converts mercury to mercuric sulfide	View →
SURSORB GP-Hg	Pellet (cylindrical)	Chemical impregnant — converts mercury to mercuric sulfide	View →

Specify on: Mercury loading % (GG-Hg is specified at 20% min)

Ammonia · NH₃

Wastewater · industrial gas · respirators

Acid impregnation neutralizes the basic gas and stores the reaction product in the pores. Virgin carbon has almost no ammonia capacity — impregnation is mandatory, not optional.

Grades that target ammonia
Grade	Form	Impregnation	Specification
SURSORB GAM	Granular	Acid neutralizing — 8–12% loading	View →
SURSORB PAM	Pellet	Acid — specific acid not disclosed	View →
SURSORB K	Granular	Impregnated — chemistry not disclosed	View →

Specify on: Impregnation loading % (GAM is 8–12%)

Volatile organic compounds · VOC

Industrial gas · solvent recovery · air treatment · also called solvents, hydrocarbons

Physical adsorption. Capacity tracks CTC activity and micropore volume — no impregnation needed. Boiling point determines which grade: above 65 °C behaves very differently from below.

Grades that target volatile organic compounds
Grade	Form	Impregnation	Specification
SURSORB SA	Granular	None — virgin carbon	View →
SURSORB PAC	Pellet (cylindrical)	None — virgin carbon	View →
SURSORB A	Granular	Impregnated — chemistry not disclosed	View →
SURSORB AX	Granular	Impregnated — chemistry not disclosed	View →

Specify on: CTC activity % and iodine number

Carbon dioxide · CO₂

Biogas upgrading · flue gas · enclosed spaces

Alkali impregnation for chemisorption at low concentration; pelletized impregnated carbon for bulk capture from fuel gas streams.

Grades that target carbon dioxide
Grade	Form	Impregnation	Specification
SURSORB PCO-2	Pellet (cylindrical)	Impregnated — chemistry not disclosed	View →
SURSORB PACO-2	Pellet	Alkali	View →

Specify on: CTC activity and impregnant chemistry

Carbon monoxide · CO

Enclosed spaces · submarines · respirators

Palladium catalyses CO oxidation. Uniquely among these grades, the palladium can be regenerated after adsorption, giving extended service life in sealed environments.

Grades that target carbon monoxide
Grade	Form	Impregnation	Specification
SURSORB PAL	Pellet	Palladium (Pd)	View →

Specify on: Palladium loading and regeneration cycles

Arsenic · As

Natural gas · groundwater · also called arsine, trialkylarsines

Chemical impregnation converts soluble arsenates to insoluble forms which adsorb into the pore structure.

Grades that target arsenic
Grade	Form	Impregnation	Specification
SURSORB As	Granular	Chemical impregnant — converts soluble arsenates to insoluble form	View →

Specify on: Removal efficiency — 99% min at 2–2.5 ppm inlet, <1 ppb outlet

Radioactive iodine · I-131

Nuclear power · fuel processing · medical · also called radioiodine, methyl iodide

Impregnated nuclear-grade carbon captures iodine isotopes to prevent atmospheric release.

Grades that target radioactive iodine
Grade	Form	Impregnation	Specification
SURSORB NGC	Granular	Not disclosed on the current datasheet	View →
CFS Filters	Filter assembly	None — virgin carbon	View →
CFV Filters	Filter assembly — stainless steel body	Impregnated carbon media	View →

Specify on: Methyl iodide removal efficiency — request the qualification protocol

Formaldehyde · CH₂O

Indoor air · clean rooms · industrial

A reactive impregnation fixes formaldehyde to the carbon surface. Formaldehyde is difficult to capture on virgin carbon because it adopts several molecular forms.

Grades that target formaldehyde
Grade	Form	Impregnation	Specification
SURSORB FORM	Granular	Proprietary reactive impregnation	View →
SURSORB BLEND	Sphere + pellet blend	Permanganate on the alumina fraction	View →

Specify on: CTC activity and impregnant reactivity

Acid gases · SO₂ · HCl · NO₂

Flue gas · clean rooms · respirators

Alkaline impregnation neutralizes the acid gas; permanganate-impregnated alumina adds an oxidation pathway for broad-spectrum control where several contaminants coexist.

Grades that target acid gases
Grade	Form	Impregnation	Specification
SURSORB ALKA	Granular	Alkaline — chemistry not disclosed	View →
SURSORB P-ALKA	Pellet (cylindrical)	Alkaline — chemistry not disclosed	View →
SURSORB E	Granular	Impregnated — chemistry not disclosed	View →
SURSORB BAL	Sphere	Permanganate	View →
SURSORB BLEND	Sphere + pellet blend	Permanganate on the alumina fraction	View →

Specify on: Static adsorption mg/g and impregnation chemistry

Chemical warfare agents · HCN · CK · CG · sarin

Defense · collective protection · also called NBC, CBRN

ASZM-TEDA impregnation — copper, silver, zinc and molybdenum with triethylenediamine — destroys the agent, converting it into non-volatile inorganic salts rather than merely holding it.

Grades that target chemical warfare agents
Grade	Form	Impregnation	Specification
SURSORB CBRN+ (ASZM-TEDA)	Granular	ASZM-TEDA — copper / silver / zinc / molybdenum with triethylenediamine. Chromium free.	View →
SURSORB CBRN	Granular	Impregnated — chemistry not disclosed	View →
SURSORB Ultra	Sphere	None — virgin carbon	View →

Specify on: Breakthrough time in minutes, unaged and aged

Multi-gas (industrial respirators) · ABEK

Personal protective equipment

Layered multi-impregnation covering organic vapors (A), inorganic gases (B), sulfur dioxide (E) and ammonia (K) in a single cartridge fill.

Grades that target multi-gas (industrial respirators)
Grade	Form	Impregnation	Specification
SURSORB ABEK	Granular	Multi-impregnated (ABEK classification)	View →
SURSORB ABE	Granular	Multi-impregnated (ABE classification)	View →
SURSORB A	Granular	Impregnated — chemistry not disclosed	View →
SURSORB AX	Granular	Impregnated — chemistry not disclosed	View →
SURSORB B	Granular	Impregnated — chemistry not disclosed	View →
SURSORB E	Granular	Impregnated — chemistry not disclosed	View →
SURSORB K	Granular	Impregnated — chemistry not disclosed	View →

Specify on: EN 14387 breakthrough time per test gas

Chloroform & trihalomethanes · THM

Industrial water treatment

Extensive microporosity adsorbs low molecular weight organics and their chlorinated by-products. Silver impregnation acts as a bacteriostat.

Grades that target chloroform & trihalomethanes
Grade	Form	Impregnation	Specification
SURSORB AQUA	Granular	Silver — bacteriostatic	View →
SURSORB P-AQUA	Pellet (cylindrical)	Silver — bacteriostatic	View →

Specify on: CTC activity, hardness, and initial flush turbidity

Heavy metals & radioactive isotopes

Effluent treatment

Zeolite ion exchange gives higher selectivity than carbon for specific ionic species in wastewater streams.

Grades that target heavy metals & radioactive isotopes
Grade	Form	Impregnation	Specification
SURSORB ZEO	To specification	None — virgin carbon	View →

Specify on: Specification issued to requirement

Mercaptans · RSH

Wastewater · biogas · refining · paper mills · also called thiols, organic sulfur, sewer and refinery odor

Mercaptans are odorous at concentrations far below any health limit, so the bed is sized for odor threshold rather than for mass loading. Virgin re-agglomerated carbon holds them physically; alkaline and metal-oxide impregnation adds a reaction pathway that also captures the hydrogen sulfide almost always present alongside them. Choosing on H₂S capacity alone is the usual mistake — a bed can still pass mercaptans after it stops passing H₂S.

Grades that target mercaptans
Grade	Form	Impregnation	Specification
SURSORB CAG	Pellet (re-agglomerated)	None — virgin carbon	View →
SURSORB ALKA	Granular	Alkaline — chemistry not disclosed	View →
SURSORB P-ALKA	Pellet (cylindrical)	Alkaline — chemistry not disclosed	View →
SURSORB MAG	Pellet	Magnesium oxide (MgO)	View →

Specify on: Impregnation chemistry, and contact time at the design flow

Nitrogen oxides · NOₓ — NO · NO₂

Flue gas · clean rooms · laboratory air · also called nitric oxide, nitrogen dioxide

Nitrogen dioxide is acidic and is neutralized on an alkaline or permanganate-impregnated medium. Nitric oxide is not — it must first be oxidized to NO₂ before anything will hold it, which is why permanganate-impregnated alumina is used where both are present and a plain alkaline carbon is not enough.

Grades that target nitrogen oxides
Grade	Form	Impregnation	Specification
SURSORB BAL	Sphere	Permanganate	View →
SURSORB BLEND	Sphere + pellet blend	Permanganate on the alumina fraction	View →
SURSORB B	Granular	Impregnated — chemistry not disclosed	View →

Specify on: Whether the duty is NO, NO₂ or both — it changes the medium

Aldehydes & alcohols

Clean rooms · laboratory air · museum and archive air · also called acetaldehyde, acrolein, low-molecular-weight oxygenates

Short-chain aldehydes and alcohols are small, polar and weakly held, so physical adsorption alone releases them again as conditions change. A permanganate-impregnated medium oxidizes them instead, and a reactive impregnation fixes formaldehyde to the surface rather than storing it. For formaldehyde specifically see the dedicated page.

Grades that target aldehydes & alcohols
Grade	Form	Impregnation	Specification
SURSORB BAL	Sphere	Permanganate	View →
SURSORB FORM	Granular	Proprietary reactive impregnation	View →
SURSORB BLEND	Sphere + pellet blend	Permanganate on the alumina fraction	View →
SURSORB A	Granular	Impregnated — chemistry not disclosed	View →

Specify on: Whether the mechanism is oxidative or physical — desorption risk depends on it

Chlorinated solvents

Degreasing · dry cleaning · solvent recovery · paint shops · also called perchloroethylene, trichloroethylene, methylene chloride

Physical adsorption on high-activity virgin carbon, with capacity tracking CTC and micropore volume. Boiling point decides the grade: solvents boiling above about 65 °C are held well and are often recoverable by steam regeneration, while those below it break through far sooner and need the low-boiling-point respirator class. Chlorinated solvents can also hydrolyze on a wet bed, so humidity is part of the specification, not a detail.

Grades that target chlorinated solvents
Grade	Form	Impregnation	Specification
SURSORB SA	Granular	None — virgin carbon	View →
SURSORB PAC	Pellet (cylindrical)	None — virgin carbon	View →
SURSORB A	Granular	Impregnated — chemistry not disclosed	View →
SURSORB AX	Granular	Impregnated — chemistry not disclosed	View →

Specify on: CTC activity, and the solvent boiling point relative to 65 °C

Dissolved organic compounds

Industrial water · surface and lake water · effluent polishing · also called DOC, colour and taste bodies, surface water organics

Liquid-phase adsorption of low molecular weight organics onto an extensively microporous carbon, with silver impregnation acting as a bacteriostat in the bed. Larger colour bodies and humic acids need mesopore and macropore volume that a coconut-shell carbon does not have — see why the feedstock decides that. Zeolite is used alongside where specific ionic species have to come out too.

Grades that target dissolved organic compounds
Grade	Form	Impregnation	Specification
SURSORB AQUA	Granular	Silver — bacteriostatic	View →
SURSORB P-AQUA	Pellet (cylindrical)	Silver — bacteriostatic	View →
SURSORB ZEO	To specification	None — virgin carbon	View →

Specify on: Iodine number, hardness, and molecular weight of the target organics

Your contaminant isn't listed That is a development conversation, not a rejection. Custom impregnation against a named contaminant is routine work — send us the specification with concentration, flow and conditions and we will tell you honestly whether we can make it.