Compalox

Activated Aluminum Oxides
for Sustainability and theAdsorption of Pollutantsand Harmful Substances®

Activated powders are commonly used to extract
impurities from liquids because of their highly
adsorptive properties.
Huber | Martinswerk manufactures Compalox®
granular activated aluminum oxides via a speciallydesigned process.

TheCompalox
Chemistry•• The granular form allows flow into fillcolumns easily, resisting deagglomeration
into powders.
•• High surface area allows extraction ofimpurities from liquids.
Huber | Martinswerk tightly controls the granulation /compaction process of tailor-made aluminum hydroxide[Al(OH)3] and the subsequent activation process into
boehmite [AlOOH] or aluminum oxide [Al2O3]. The
resulting low-dust granulates are easy to handle, havehigh specific surface area, high crystallinity and large
pore volumes.
Because of their physical properties, activated alumina
can be used in many areas as an adsorbent.

Applications

Compalox® activated aluminum oxides remove avariety of impurities by adsorption from either liquid
or gaseous media. Depending on the pH value,
flocculation adsorption can also be achieved.
The degree of adsorption depends on the polarityof the substances to be removed. Polar compounds
are more strongly bound to water vs. non-polar
compounds. When different polar substances arepresented at the same time, Compalox products
adsorbs these at different rates. Therefore, Compalox
activated aluminum oxides can be used (for example)
with good results in the drying and purification oforganic liquids and gases.

Removal ofenvironmentallyproblematic pollutantsfrom open circuits

Removal of harmful
substances fromclosed circuits

Selective purificationof crude products2

Concentrating highly
diluted pollutants ordesired products forfurther processingCompalox ®

Activated Aluminum Oxides

Application Examples

Examples of Compalox® product applications are featured below. Huber | Martinswerk works
closely with customers, research institutes and experts in the field of environmental protection
to contribute to the successful reduction of harmful pollutants in a variety of key areas.
PROBLEM AREA

Underground andDrinking Water

Processing Liquids, Industrial
Water and Waste Water

Exhaust Air and Gases

POLLUTION WITHNOXIOUS MATTER•• Fluorides•• Phosphates•• Arsenic Acids•• Humic Acids•• Heavy Metals (Soluble Compounds)•• IignosulfonicAcids•• Chlorine Ilgnin•• Bleach Waste
Water (PulpIndustry)•• Dyestuffs WasteWater•• VaporCondensates•• Fluorides•• Phosphates•• Arsenic Acids•• Heavy Metals•• SolubleCompounds•• Organic Acids•• Ionic Detergents•• Acidic and BasicDyes•• Fluorides•• Hydrogen Fluorides•• Odors (Testing Phase)•• Drying and Purifications of Gases

3

PROBLEMS SOLVED USINGCOMPALOX® PRODUCTS
Clean and Pure
Underground andDrinking Water

Processing Liquids,
Industrial Water andWaste Water Free of
Noxious Matter

Exhaust Air andGases Free of Noxious
MatterCompalox ®

Activated Aluminum Oxides

Typical PhysicalProperties

The following overview features the chemical and physical characteristics of Compalox®
activated aluminum oxides:

CHEMICAL ANALYSIS(Average Values in Weight Percent)

PHYSICAL PROPERTIES

Al2O3

92%

SiO2

0.02%

Fe2O3

0.02%

TiO2

0.005%

Na2O

0.4%

Loss On Ignition

8%

Specific Surface Area (m2/g)

230 to 330

Water Absorption % (Static)
10% Relative Humidity

5.5

60% Relative Humidity

17.6

Bulk Density (kg/m3)

950

Specific Gravity (g/cm3)

3.1

Pore Volume (cm3/g)

Total 0.35

Breaking Strength (N) (with Pfizer Tablet Hardness Tester)

AVAILABLE PRODUCTGRADE GRANULAR SIZES

1 - 1.5mm

ca. 303mm

ca. 805mm

ca. 150Compalox® AN/V-801

0.3 – 1.0mm

Compalox® AN/V-802

0.3 – 2.0mm®

Compalox AN/V-812

1.2 – 2.5mm®

Compalox AN/V-813

1.0 – 3.0mm®

Compalox AN/V-825

2.0 – 5.0mm

Compalox® AN/V-827

2.5 – 6.5mm

Compalox AN/V-850

5.0 – 10.0mm®

Huber | Martinswerk selectively produces a variety of Compalox grades, which differ mainly by
granule size distribution, specific surface area (230 to 330 m2/g) and pore size distribution.
The loss on ignition is usually in the range of 7 to 10 weight percent.
4Compalox ®

Activated Aluminum Oxides

Adsorption

By adsorption—gases, vapors
or dissolved substances are
physically bound on the surfaceof solid, porous materials.

Adsorption Isotherms for Water with COMPALOX® Activated Aluminum Oxides
432120

When using Compalox
activated aluminum oxides as
an adsorbent, the occurring
adsorption isotherms can bedescribed mathematically by
the Langmuir or Freundlich
equation. The static adsorptionof water from the gas phaseis shown in the adjacentgraphic as an example of
the adsorption capacity ofvarious qualities of Compalox®
products.

Amount of Water Adsorbed [%]®

Spec Surface(BET-Method)
1 = 200 [m2/g]
2 = 250 [m²/g]
3 = 300 [m²/g]
4 = 330 [m²/g]

10020

40

60

80

100

Relative Moisture Percentage [%]A reduction of harmful substances using Compalox activatedaluminum oxides is possible in all adsorption reactors. Sufficient
contact time between the adsorbent and the medium to be cleaned
must be ensured. For each individual problem, a separate processneeds to be designed.
Huber | Martinswerk has extensive experience in the use ofCompalox activated aluminas to reduce harmful substances.
We offer detailed technical advice on your specific application
situation.

Compalox ®

Activated Aluminum Oxides

Process Flow

When using fixed-bed reactors, the following guidelines can be given for the equipment design.
Contact time of 0.5 to 0.75 hours and filter flow velocities of about 1-2 m/hour should beapplied. By doing this, an optimum adsorption of the relevant pollutants is ensured. In otherreactors, the operating parameters must be chosen so that optimum adsorption is achieved.
5Compalox ®

Activated Aluminum Oxides

Regeneration

Compalox® activated aluminum oxides regenerationis possible in most applications and desirable. Whenplanning a continuous adsorption process, it has to betaken into account that the reactor with the highest
pollutant levels has to go through regeneration phasein cycles. The total capacity must be calculated in away where the maximum adsorption capacity is always
guaranteed.
The selection of a suitable method for the regeneration
depends on the nature of the adsorbed substances andpossible further marketability.
Organic contaminants may be removed by a thermaltreatment (up to maximum of 400°C) without Compalox
adsorbent activity loss.
Inorganic contaminants, such as phosphates or fluorides,
can be eluted by a shift adjustment of the pH.

Huber | Martinswerk has more than half a century of experience supplying Compalox activatedaluminum oxides and in addition to the individual product grades we’ve discussed, we provide
superior technical service and expertise along with our dedicated and personalized customer
care that’s second-to-none.
Contact us today for more information and to obtain samples of our Compalox products.

Email: hubermaterials@huber.com
Click: hubermaterials.com/compalox

ISO 9001:2015 Certified
Quality Management System

EUROPE / MIDDLE EAST / AFRICANORTH AMERICAASIA PACIFIC

Martinswerk GmbH
Kölner Strasse 110
D-50127 Bergheim, Germany+49-2271-902-0
Fax: +49-2271902-710

Huber Engineered Materials
3100 Cumberland Blvd.
Suite 600
Atlanta, Georgia, US 30339866-564-8237

Huber Fire Retardant Additives (Qingdao)
Co. Ltd.
8th Floor; No. 2 Building, No. 7
Wuyishan Road
Huangdao District
Qingdao, Shandong
266555 China+86-532-58792008

THERE ARE NO IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. Refer to the Huber | Martinswerk Standard Conditions of Sale for the only express
warranties applicable to the Huber | Martinswerk products. Products incorporating Huber | Martinswerk products are not warranted by Huber | Martinswerk. In no event is Huber | Martinswerk
liable for consequential damages. Compalox® is used, applied for, or registered as a trademark of Huber | Martinswerk in various countries around the world.
©2019 J.M. Huber Corporation and Martinswerk GmbH 					Compalox/ActivatedAluminas/Sustainability/Aug2019						6