Activated Carbon – The Everyday Hero?

Activated Carbon – A Hero Without a Cape 

Long established in water treatment as well as ventilation and air conditioning technology, activated carbon is now increasingly finding its way into our everyday lives. Whether during your morning routine in the bathroom (toothpaste, shower gel) or during an after-work beer with friends in the evening (it removes unwanted fermentation by-products during production) – activated carbon now has a hand in (almost) everything. But what exactly is activated carbon, and what makes it so special and so versatile in the first place?

You might say: activated carbon, also known as „Carbo medicinalis“, is nothing more than ordinary plant charcoal. But it is not quite that simple. Only through complex processes and high temperatures is the charcoal „activated“. – Among these activation methods, a distinction is made between natural gas activation and treatment with steam and chemicals. The result is the same:

Hollow chambers within the structure of the charcoal. The increased surface area of up to 500%  boosts, to the same degree, the special ability to adsorb dirt particles from its surroundings or from the water (pollutants stay attached to the surface). By the way: a teaspoon of activated carbon thus has the incredible surface area of a football field! That makes it our hero in the fight against pollutants of every kind.

Activated carbon filters with a Cap(e) made by Medusafilters 

The smoking community should not be deprived of these pollutant-reducing benefits either. Having first seen the light of day at the end of 2018, Medusafilters® set itself the task of turning the filter market completely on its head. Away from the one-size-fits-all sameness of recent years and on to the new generation of filters.

The finest coconut activated carbon, framed by two vegan cellulose caps (Medusacaps) and encased in a wrapper of top-quality cardboard – what sounds like a tasty recipe actually describes the simple, ingenious filter design from Medusa.

After countless prototypes of the most varied filter designs, it was above all the two founders’ intention to create a filter that would bring the following properties:

• Maximum filtering power against non-relevant components with sluggish molecular mobility (tar, carbon monoxide and nitrogen oxides, etc.)
• Fine, particularly potent activated carbon from the coconut shell and twofold coarse filtration through two open-pored cellulose caps ensure the ideal draw with optimal filtration.

Locally sourced raw materials as well as our own production in Germany are a unique selling point and contribute to a positive climate balance within the company.