With increasing market demand, more and more apricot shell activated carbon is appearing on the market. So how do you judge the quality of apricot shell activated carbon? Today we'll discuss this topic.
I. Appearance and Morphology Inspection
Color and Shape
High-quality apricot shell activated carbon: Inky black or dark gray, with uniform, short, and straight granules, and no rust or gray-white spots on the surface.
Inferior apricot shell activated carbon: Grayish in color or with mixed colors, with long, thin, curved granules and many breaks, possibly due to poor manufacturing processes leading to decreased adsorption performance.
Particle Integrity
Gently squeeze the granules by hand. High-quality apricot shell activated carbon is hard and not easily broken; inferior products are brittle or shed powder, indicating insufficient mechanical strength.
II. Performance Testing Methods
Bubble Test
Place the apricot shell activated carbon in clean water and observe the bubble formation:
High-quality activated carbon: Produces a large number of continuous, fine bubbles (in a linear shape) within 30 seconds, accompanied by a hissing sound; the water becomes noticeably clearer within 5 minutes.
Inferior Activated Carbon: Few and discontinuous bubbles, rapid settling, resulting in cloudy water or no significant improvement.
Decolorization Capacity Test
Take a colored liquid (such as diluted red ink), add apricot shell activated carbon, and let stand for 20 minutes:
High-Quality Activated Carbon: The liquid color significantly lightens or becomes nearly transparent, indicating its strong ability to adsorb pigment molecules.
Inferior Activated Carbon: Weak decolorization effect or no change.
Weight Comparison
For the same volume, high-quality apricot shell activated carbon feels lighter due to its well-developed pores and low density; inferior products are significantly heavier due to fewer pores or impurities.
Iodine Adsorption Value
The iodine value of high-quality apricot shell activated carbon should be ≥900 mg/g. Adsorption performance is directly related to the capture efficiency of gold-cyanide complexes.
Abrasion Resistance
Through mechanical strength testing, high-quality apricot shell activated carbon has an abrasion resistance ≥90%, suitable for low-intensity stirring processes such as heap leaching.
Comprehensive Judgment Process
Steps | Methods | High-Quality Standards | Low-Quality Characteristics | Reference Sources
1. Appearance Inspection | Dark black, uniform particles | Grayish white, broken particles
2. Bubble Test | Dense bubbles lasting >3 minutes | Few bubbles or bubbles disappearing quickly
3. Decolorization Test | Decolorization rate ≥80% | Decolorization rate <30%
4. Weight Comparison | Lighter for the same volume | Heavier than average
The above methods can quickly screen out high-adsorption, durable apricot shell activated carbon suitable for gold refining, water treatment, and other applications. For more precise indicators (such as iodine value, ash content), laboratory testing is recommended.
