Activated carbon is a highly porous form of carbon that is used to remove contaminants from water. The pores in activated carbon provide a large surface area for adsorption, which is the process by which contaminants are attracted to and held on the surface of the carbon.
When water containing contaminants comes into contact with activated carbon, the contaminants are adsorbed onto the surface of the carbon. Carbon is particularly effective at capturing organic compounds such as pesticides, solvents, and volatile organic compounds (VOCs), as well as chlorine and other disinfection byproducts.
Activated carbon is also effective at removing some heavy metals such as lead, mercury, and cadmium from water.