ABSTRACT
On July 7, 1855, Michael Faraday wrote to The Times of London to complain that the river Thames was a "real sewer" and that the "whole of the river was an opaque pale brown fluid." He argued that "[i]f we neglect this subject, we cannot expect to do so with impunity; nor ought we to be surprised if, ere many years are over, a hot season give us sad proof of the folly of our carelessness" (https://dbhs.wvusd.kI2.ca.us/Chem-History !Faraday-Letter .html, viewed 4/191 98). Society has made much progress since then, but many concerns remain. The use of charcoals and activated carbons in water treatment is probably one of the oldest chemical technologies, and a vast literature has accumulated on this subject [1-6].
