Comparative Study of the Activated Carbons: Part-ii: Linear Ranking Model

Two codes of Bureau of Indian Standards, viz., IS 2752:1995 and IS 8366:1989 are available for classification of adsorbents for their use in specific purposes based on their physico-chemical characteristics. No IS code is available for directly assessing the suitability of activated carbon for contaminated water treatment. Two specific categories of activated carbons prescribed in the above IS codes are considered in the present study, representing the activated carbons suitable for contaminated water treatment. Literature review showed that most of the data for the characteristics prescribed by the two specific categories of activated carbons listed in the above two IS codes is missing. In such cases, classification of activated carbon for a particular purpose becomes difficult. A four scale linear ranking model is developed in this study for the systematic assessment of the suitability of activated carbon for a specific purpose and is illustrated with a data source where the information pertaining to the relevant physico-chemical characteristics is fully available. It is concluded from the present study that, (i) it is possible to rank the activated carbon based on its physicochemical characteristics and (ii) there is a further scope in the improvement of the proposed ranking model.