Activated carbon, also called activated charcoal, is a form of carbon processed to
have small, low-volume pores that increase the surface area available for adsorption
or chemical reactions. Activated is sometimes substituted with active,
Further chemical treatment often enhances adsorption properties. Activated charcoal is
a great adsorbent because of it's huge surface area. While it doesn't bind very many
ions/ atoms/ molecules per surface area (which is the characteristic of a
'good' adsorbent), due to very big surface area per unit of mass it can absorb a lot of
particles. Combustion is a rapid, exothermic reaction between a fuel and oxygen (O2). In
incineration applications, the fuel is predominately waste (although fossil fuels may be
co-fired) and the oxygen source is air. Combustion produces many of the same stable
end products, whether the material burned is natural gas, coal, wood, gasoline,
municipal solid waste, hazardous waste, or medical waste. The flame zone of a well
designed incinerator is sufficiently hot to break down all organic and many inorganic
molecules, allowing reactions between most volatile components of the waste and the
oxygen and nitrogen (N2) in air. The predominant reactions are between carbon (C) and
oxygen, producing carbon dioxide (CO2), and between hydrogen (H) and oxygen,
producing water vapor (H2O). Incomplete combustion of organic compounds in the
waste feed stream produces some carbon monoxide (CO) and carbon-containing
particles. Hydrogen also reacts with organically-bound chlorine to produce hydrogen
chloride (HCl). In addition, many other reactions occur, producing sulfur oxides (SOx)
from sulfur compounds, nitrogen oxides (NOx) from nitrogen compounds (and, a little,
from the nitrogen in the air), metal oxides from compounds of some metals, and metal
vapors from compounds of others
