New Siemens catalytic carbon targets US bottlers and brewers

The new AquaCarb 1240CAT catalytic carbon uses specially processed carbon from coconut shells to remove various impurities from water including chloramine, hydrogen sulfide and hydrogen peroxide.

Potential applications cover water treatment in the bottling and brewing industries as well as treatment of semiconductor waste water, municipal drinking water and groundwater remediation systems.

Beverage potential ​

Andrew McClure, carbon product manager at Siemens WT, explained why AquaCarb 1240CAT can be useful in the beverage industry.

McClure told this publication: “We expect that this product will be applicable in both the brewing and bottling industries, where breweries and bottling facilities need to treat their incoming water (typically from a potable source) for chloramine reduction. ​

“Many municipalities in the US are switching from chlorine to chloramine in response to new disinfection byproduct regulations for drinking water. Chloramine is a more persistent disinfectant in water distribution systems, and can impact undesired tastes to beverages.”​

Coconut advantages ​

Compared to traditional catalytic carbons based on bituminous coal, Siemens WT claims that the coconut shell base provides a higher adsorption capacity thanks to an extensive micropore structure for VOCs (volatile organic compounds).

The engineering company added that coconut also has a lower ash content and higher hardness/abrasion resistance. This it said results in longer effective carbon life, reduced replacement frequency and lower overall lifecycle costs.

“This product provides an alternative choice for catalytic activated carbon, and offers improved performance in many applications,”​ said Christopher Rinaldi, general manager of Siemens’ activated carbon business.

“In addition, coconut, as a renewable resource, is gentler to the environment than coal-based carbon products.” ​

McClure said coconut shell is well established in the water treatment industry and has been used as a basis for activated carbon for decades. He said it came to be used in the industry as coconut harvesters sought out potential outlets for unused shells.