When granular or powdered carbon is exhausted, a plant has two choices: dispose of it and buy new, or restore its pores and put it back to work. Activated carbon regeneration is the second route. Guanbaolin approaches it from both sides. We run spent activated carbon regeneration as an industrial service, and we design and manufacture the activated carbon regeneration furnaces that customers install at their own sites. This page explains how the process works, what each route involves, and how to decide between regeneration and replacement.
How thermal regeneration of activated carbon works
Thermal regeneration, also called activated carbon reactivation, uses heat and a controlled atmosphere to remove what the carbon has adsorbed. In general the process runs through four stages:
- Drying. Free water is driven off. Wet spent carbon is often pre-dried to save furnace energy.
- Desorption. As the temperature rises, volatile adsorbed compounds leave the pores and pass to the off-gas system.
- Pyrolysis. Heavier organics break down in a low-oxygen atmosphere, leaving a carbon residue inside the pores.
- Reactivation. Steam reacts with that residue at high temperature, clearing blocked pores and restoring adsorption capacity before the carbon is cooled and discharged.
The off-gas has to be treated, because it carries the contaminants that came off the carbon. Our granular activated carbon regeneration system follows this principle. It is an internally heated, high-temperature unit that combines pyrolytic desorption with a metered steam feed, which clears existing pores and opens new pore volume. Integrated exhaust treatment can be included (GAC regeneration system).
This is how you regenerate activated carbon at industrial scale. Chemical and solvent washing methods exist for specific cases, but thermal regeneration is the usual route for granular carbon.
Activated carbon regeneration service
Our spent activated carbon regeneration service covers recovery, processing, reuse and regeneration of spent carbon from industrial environmental-treatment projects. It also includes regeneration-process consultation (regeneration services).
The service is operated by Xinjiang Guanbaolin Renewable Energy Co., Ltd., established in August 2019 in Tiemenguan, Xinjiang (Xinjiang regeneration base). Rotary kilns handle both activation and regeneration there, and the base publishes an annual handling and regeneration capacity of 15,000 tonnes of activated carbon (Manufacturing & R&D). The base holds hazardous-waste and pollutant-discharge permits (news).
Process
Our service follows three steps: condition review → regeneration route → service support (services). You tell us what the carbon is, what it has adsorbed, how much you have and how you handle it today. We then assess the material, adsorbed substances, logistics and treatment route to define the service scope. The scope can extend to supplying regenerated or new carbon.
Which spent carbons are accepted
Acceptance is decided case by case after the condition review. Our regeneration technology is designed for spent carbon classed as general solid waste or hazardous waste, and for carbon regenerated online alongside a process, in both granular and powdered form (PAC regeneration system). The specific carbon types and contaminants accepted at the Xinjiang base are confirmed on inquiry.
Turnaround
Service turnaround is confirmed on inquiry and depends on quantity, location and logistics. For plants outside China, on-site regeneration equipment is usually the practical route. Contact us to discuss.
Activated carbon regeneration furnaces and equipment
For plants that want to regenerate on site, we manufacture activated carbon regeneration equipment for granular carbon, powdered carbon and activated coke. Every capacity below is taken from our published product pages.
| System | Published capacity | Published performance / notes |
|---|---|---|
| Granular activated carbon (GAC) regeneration system | 5–50 t/day | Dry-basis yield ≥90%, excluding adsorbed impurities; controlled steam input |
| Powdered activated carbon (PAC) regeneration system | 5–30 t/day | Yield ≥30% for material at 50% moisture; internal- and external-heating variants; PLC control |
| Activated coke regeneration system | 5–20 t/day | Online regeneration for activated-coke adsorption beds, with steam secondary activation |
| One-step carbonization and activation system | Output 2–10 t/day | Includes drying and regeneration options for spent powdered or granular carbon |
| Rotary dryer | 0.5–50 t/h per unit | Pre-drying of wet activated carbon; feed moisture 20%–70% |
The PAC system can run on natural gas, electricity, biogas, biomass or fuel oil. Our powdered-carbon regeneration technology includes a Japanese patent for a non-oxidative continuous regeneration and cooling line (patents). We also helped develop the group standard "Technical Specification for Powdered Activated Carbon Regeneration Furnaces" (news).
Rotary kiln and other carbon regeneration kiln designs
A rotary kiln activated carbon regeneration furnace tumbles carbon through a heated, inclined drum so that every particle gets even exposure to heat and steam. Our Xinjiang base runs rotary-kiln regeneration systems. The furnace type and heating arrangement for your own GAC regeneration system are confirmed on inquiry, based on the carbon, capacity and fuel available.
Sizing an activated carbon regeneration plant
To size a regeneration plant, start from the tonnes of spent carbon produced per day, its moisture and its adsorbed load. Before a full-scale design, spent-carbon regeneration trials can be run in our pilot laboratories of approximately 500 m² (pilot testing). Equipment lead time and price are quoted per project.
Regeneration vs replacing activated carbon
Cost. Activated carbon regeneration cost is quoted per project, because it depends on volume, energy price, logistics and contamination. As a general comparison, regeneration avoids buying a full volume of new carbon and cuts spent-carbon disposal, while replacement avoids furnace investment or service fees. Larger, steady volumes of spent carbon usually favour regeneration.
Performance. Well-controlled reactivation restores much of the original adsorption capacity, but each cycle loses some carbon to burn-off and attrition, so make-up carbon is added. The published dry-basis yield of ≥90% for our GAC system gives a benchmark for that loss. Contact us to confirm the iodine value your carbon recovers after regeneration. How many times activated carbon can be regenerated depends mainly on hardness. For example, our coal-based mesoporous activated coke is described as having high strength for repeat regeneration (product page), and our coal-based granular carbon is listed as regenerable (product page).
Applications
- Water treatment. Our complete equipment for hazardous-waste activated carbon regeneration is used by waterworks, wastewater-treatment plants, power plants, waste-to-energy facilities, environmental companies and hazardous-waste treatment companies (news). Activated coke used for COD adsorption in reclaimed water is designed for thermal regeneration.
- Gold CIP/CIL. In carbon-in-pulp and carbon-in-leach circuits, carbon is generally eluted and then thermally reactivated in a kiln before it returns to the circuit, which keeps gold loading efficient.
- Food and sugar. Decolourising carbon in food and sugar processing can be thermally regenerated when the organic load allows it. Contact us to confirm suitability for your process.
- Waste gas. Carbon from VOC and off-gas adsorption beds, including activated coke beds, can be regenerated online or off site. Our activated coke regeneration system is built for this duty.
Activated carbon regeneration FAQs
How many times can activated carbon be regenerated?
It depends on your carbon's hardness, contaminants and loss per cycle; contact us to confirm how many cycles your carbon can take. Hard, high-strength carbons tolerate more cycles, with make-up carbon added to replace losses. See our FAQ.
How much carbon is lost in regeneration?
Our GAC regeneration system has a published dry-basis yield of ≥90%, excluding adsorbed impurities. The powdered system's published yield is ≥30% for material at 50% moisture. See our FAQ.
Do you offer a regeneration service or only equipment?
Both. We supply regeneration equipment and run spent-carbon regeneration services through our Xinjiang base, with a published capacity of 15,000 tonnes per year. For plants outside China, on-site regeneration equipment is usually the practical route. See our FAQ.
What size regeneration furnace do I need?
It depends on your daily spent-carbon volume. Published ranges are 5–50 t/day for granular carbon, 5–30 t/day for powdered carbon and 5–20 t/day for activated coke. See our FAQ.
Start a regeneration review
Send the carbon type, adsorbed substances, tonnes per day, moisture, site utilities and location to Vincentlee@gblcarbon.com or call +86 13355329772. Shandong Guanbaolin Carbon Industry Group Co., Ltd., No. 7 Hengrui Road, Jiaobei Industrial Park, Jiaozhou, Qingdao, Shandong, China. Contact us.