As a strategic material, activated carbon has appeared in many varieties.Therefore, various different classification methods have also appeared for activated carbon.

Classification according to manufacturing methods In the activation process of manufacturing activated carbon, different activation methods and different activated substances are used. Therefore, activated carbon is also classified according to the different activation methods or activated substances used. It can be divided into gas activated carbon (or physical activated carbon), chemical activated carbon (or chemical activated carbon), chemicals and gases combined with activated carbon, such as water vapor activated carbon, zinc chloride activated carbon, etc.According to the appearance and shape, it can be divided into powdered activated carbon, unshaped granular activated carbon (or broken activated carbon), formed activated carbon (or shaped granular activated carbon), spherical carbon, honeycomb carbon, fibrous carbon, fabric-like carbon, etc.

Powdered activated carbon is generally used in liquids, such as the separation and decolorization of substances in aqueous solutions. There is no uniform regulation on the particle size. It is generally a fine powder of less than 120g, but the particle size should not be too fine, otherwise it will affect the filtration speed when the solution is separated.The particle size of granular activated carbon varies depending on the carbon type and use. For example, the diameter of cylindrical activated carbon for recycling is 3~3.5mm and the length is 3~8mm; the diameter of adsorbed carbon is 1.4~1.7mm and the length is 2~5mm; the size of the unshaped granular activated carbon used as a catalyst carrier in the production of nylon is 28~42 mesh.

The pH of activated carbon varies depending on the type of carbon. For example, the pH value of sugar charcoal produced by the zinc chloride method is 3 to 5, and the pH value of medicinal charcoal is 5 to 7; some physical activated carbon has a pH value of 7 to 9.4. Classification of activated carbon by use Classification of activated carbon by use is the most commonly used method in business. It can be divided into activated carbon for medical use, activated carbon for sugar use, coal-based granular activated carbon for air purification, and coal-based granular activated carbon for protection.In addition to powdered carbon, other shapes of activated carbon can be used in the treatment of VOCs, such as ordinary granular activated carbon, honeycomb activated carbon, activated carbon fiber, carbon molecular sieve, etc.