activated carbon

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025

ac′tivated car′bon, [Chem.]

1. Chemistry a form of carbon having very fine pores: used chiefly for adsorbing gases or solutes, as in various filter systems for purification, deodorization, and decolorization. Also called ac′tivated char′coal. 

• 1920–25

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

activated carbon noun

1. a porous highly adsorptive form of carbon used to remove colour or impurities from liquids and gases, in the separation and extraction of chemical compounds, and in the recovery of solvents