civilian activated carbon is a type of microcrystalline carbon material made of carbonaceous material that has a black appearance, a developed internal pore structure, a large specific surface area, and a strong adsorption capacity. activated carbon materials have a large number of microscopic pores that are invisible to the naked eye. it is these micropores that enable activated carbon to “capture” (adsorb) various toxic and harmful gases and impurities (via van der waals forces, ie intermolecular forces).