What Donau Carbon does

Donau Carbon is the activated carbon business unit of Donau Chemie AG, an Austrian diversified chemical group with more than 950 employees worldwide. The company manufactures and reactivates activated carbon in powdered, granular, and extruded forms for industrial and municipal customers, using both gas activation (steam, carbon dioxide, air) and chemical activation (zinc chloride, phosphoric acid) processes across coal, lignite, coconut shell, and wood feedstocks. Its production and reactivation footprint spans four sites: the Philippines (coconut shell-based granular activated carbon, opened April 2011), Germany (Frankfurt headquarters; reactivation plants), Austria (Pischelsdorf reactivation and impregnated carbon plant), and the United States (Donau Carbon US LLC, Dunnellon, FL, formed via the July 2016 merger of Donau Carbon Corp. and Standard Purification). Donau Carbon holds ISO 9001 and ISO 14001 certifications at its Philippines facility and is a co-founder of the ACPA consortium that filed its EU REACH registration dossier with ECHA in 2010.

Name

Donau Carbon

Legal name

Donau Carbon US LLC

Website

https://donau-carbon-us.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1992

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

Donau Carbon manufactures and reactivates activated carbon in powdered, granular, and extruded forms, serving municipal water utilities, industrial water and air treatment operators, food and beverage processors, and gold miners across more than 60 countries through four production sites in the USA, Germany, Austria, and the Philippines.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Activated Carbon / Industrial Adsorbents

NAICS

Carbon and Graphite Product Manufacturing (335991)

SIC

Industrial Organic Chemicals (2860)

akta.pro primary industry

Activated Carbon & Carbon Adsorbents (IMAEAIAF)

akta.pro secondary industry

Water Treatment Adsorbents (GAC/PAC/Media) (IMAEAIAK)

Keywords

• Activated carbon manufacturing
• Water treatment adsorbents
• Air and gas purification
• Industrial adsorption systems
• Thermal carbon reactivation

Headquarters

HQ city

Dunnellon

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Activated Carbon Products Sales: Sale of powdered, granular, and extruded activated carbon grades manufactured from coal, lignite, coconut shell, and wood raw materials under brand names including DESOREX, WATERCARB, SUPERSORBON, ALCARBON, KOMBISORB, CARBOPAL, EPIBON, OXORBON, HYDRAFFIN, and CONTARBON.
2. Activated Carbon Filter Rental and Sales: Rental and sale of mobile or stationary adsorbers for gas and liquid treatment applications. Both small/medium mobile replacement adsorbers and large adsorbers with on-site carbon replacement are offered. Custom-designed vessels available upon request.
3. Reactivation Services: Thermal reactivation of spent activated carbon at three reactivation plants in Germany and Austria, offering environmental-friendly and cost-saving alternative to disposal and fresh carbon purchase.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Donau Carbon manufactures and sells powdered, granular, and extruded activated carbon products derived from coal, lignite, coconut shell, and wood raw materials for water treatment, air and gas purification, solvent recovery, flue gas cleaning, and food/beverage processing. The company complements product sales with thermal reactivation services at three plants in Germany and Austria, plus rental and sale of mobile and stationary adsorption filter systems. Branded product families include HYDRAFFIN, WATERCARB, DESOREX, SUPERSORBON, ALCARBON, KOMBISORB, CARBOPAL, EPIBON, OXORBON, CONTARBON, and Filtriplus.

Product overview

Donau Carbon offers a comprehensive activated carbon portfolio comprising multiple branded product lines covering powdered, granular, and extruded activated carbons manufactured from coal, lignite, coconut shell, and wood raw materials. The core product brands include HYDRAFFIN® (water treatment), WATERCARB (municipal drinking water), DESOREX® (air & gas treatment), SUPERSORBON® (solvent recovery), ALCARBON® (special applications), CARBOPAL® (powdered carbon for liquids), EPIBON® (granular carbon for liquids), OXORBON® (H2S removal), KOMBISORB® (flue gas cleaning), CONTARBON® (catalysis), and Filtriplus (pumice-based filtration). The portfolio is supported by service offerings including activated carbon filter rental/sale, tailor-made adsorption system engineering, laboratory support, and impregnation services. Production facilities are located in the Philippines (coconut shell-based carbon) while reactivation plants operate in Germany and Austria. The company also provides PFAS removal specialty solutions.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• DESOREX: Air and Gas Cleaning, Flue Gas Treatment
• WATERCARB
• SUPERSORBON
• ALCARBON
• KOMBISORB
• CARBOPAL
• EPIBON
• OXORBON
• HYDRAFFIN
• CONTARBON
• Filtriplus

Products and services

• DESOREX (Activated Carbon for Air & Gas Cleaning and Flue Gas Treatment) Activated carbon product line for Air & Gas Cleaning and Flue Gas Treatment applications, available in grades including Desorex K 47, Desorex K 43, Desorex PI 50 K, Desorex KF 30x60, and Desorex HGD 4 S, used by industrial emitters and gas processing operators.
• WATERCARB (Powdered Activated Carbon for Municipal Drinking Water) Powdered activated carbon products manufactured in Dunnellon, FL, designed for municipal drinking water treatment; removes MIB and geosmin for taste and odor control, limits cyanobacteria risks, and reduces TOC to minimize disinfection by-product formation. Available in pneumatic bulk tanker trailer, 50 lb paper bags, and 800 lb bulk bags.
• SUPERSORBON (Activated Carbon for Solvent Recovery) Activated carbon engineered for solvent recovery applications via the SUPERSORBON Solvent Recovery Process, available in grades including Supersorbon C IV spezial, Supersorbon K 42, and Supersorbon K 40, sold to industrial operators of solvent recovery systems.
• ALCARBON (Activated Carbon for Special Applications) Activated carbon for special applications including cabin air filters, drinking water filters, and cigarette filters, available in grades such as Alcarbon CI 60/30x70, Alcarbon IG 50/6x12 G, Alcarbon PH 50/30x60, plus silver-impregnated variants for bacterial control.
• KOMBISORB (Flue Gas Cleaning Carbon-Inert Mixture) Granular mixture of virgin or impregnated activated carbon and inert material designed to minimize fire risk at higher temperatures, removing heavy metals (particularly mercury), dioxins, furans, and PCBs from waste gases, available in BA and BAT series.
• CARBOPAL (Powdered Activated Carbon for Liquid Treatment) Powdered activated carbon for treatment of liquids in chemical, pharmaceutical, and food & beverages industries, available in grades including Carbopal MB 4, Carbopal MB 4N, Carbopal MB 4S, Carbopal AP, Carbopal Gn-A II, and Carbopal Gn-P.
• EPIBON (Granular Activated Carbon for Liquid Purification) Granulated carbon for purification of liquids and percolation processes, used for treatment of glycerine, organic and inorganic acids, boiler feed water, and condensate, available in grades including Epibon Y 12x40 spezial, Epibon X 12x40 spezial, Epibon A 8x30, and Epibon Y 12x40.
• OXORBON (Extruded Activated Carbon for H2S Removal) Extruded carbon for air and gas purification with focus on hydrogen sulfide removal, featuring high inner surface, balanced pore structure, and homogeneous potassium iodide impregnation; Oxorbon K 20 J achieves sulfur loads exceeding 60% by weight.
• HYDRAFFIN (Activated Carbon for Water Treatment) Water treatment activated carbon for drinking water purification, groundwater rehabilitation, and wastewater treatment, available in granular and powdered forms including Hydraffin 30 N, Hydraffin XC 30, Hydraffin CC 8x30, Hydraffin CC 12x40, Hydraffin CC 8x30 plus (PFAS), Hydraffin MB 4, Hydraffin P 800, Hydraffin PR, Hydraffin PI-C, and Hydraffin NA 30.
• CONTARBON (Activated Carbon for Catalysis) Activated carbon for catalysis applications, available as Contarbon K 4-35, an acid-washed, mechanically resistant cylindrical shaped type designed for use as a catalyst support.
• Filtriplus (Pumice-Based Filter Material for Water Treatment) Filter material based on pumice stone for water treatment applications, featuring porous structure, lightweight properties, obsidian-free composition, volcanic origin, and rough surface.
• Activated Carbon Filter Adsorbers (Rental and Sale) Rental and sale of mobile or stationary adsorbers for diverse applications across a broad range of throughputs, including small/medium mobile replacement adsorbers and large adsorbers with on-site carbon replacement. Standard vessels delivered within days; custom-designed vessels available on request.
• Gas-phase Adsorbers Activated carbon filter systems for gas and air cleaning applications including emission control from production processes, odor abatement, soil remediation, groundwater rehabilitation, and biogas/sewage gas treatment to remove hydrogen sulfide and siloxanes.
• Liquid-phase Adsorbers Filter systems for liquid and water treatment applications including process effluent treatment for discharge compliance, drinking water purification, food industry applications, groundwater treatment, and chemical/pharmaceutical product purification.
• Tailor-made Adsorption System Solutions Custom engineering solutions covering design through construction and commissioning of activated carbon adsorption systems, including consulting, process engineering, technical application support, system design, modification, upgrades, and operational maintenance services.
• Activated Carbon Exchange Logistics Service Carbon change-out service encompassing adsorber emptying and refilling, screening of spent carbon, cleaning of adsorption systems, and necessary repairs. Mobile adsorbers offer flexibility for complete equipment replacement or on-site absorbent bed replacement.
• Coconut Shell-Based Granular Activated Carbon Production (Philippines) Coconut shell-based granular activated carbon production facility located in El Salvador City, Misamis Oriental, Mindanao, Philippines, operating since April 2011 under ISO-certified conditions with state-of-the-art rotary kilns for activation and processing. Targeted at air filtration and gold recovery applications requiring extreme hardness (>95% Ball Pan hardness).
• Laboratory and Technical Application Support In-house laboratory testing and analysis of spent and reactivated carbons using proprietary and international test protocols, including activated carbon selection consulting, application support, system sizing, and pilot plant testing for special liquid and gas-phase applications.
• Impregnated Activated Carbon Services Specialty activated carbon impregnation services for gas cleaning applications using various chemicals including potassium carbonate (acid substance removal), phosphoric/sulphuric acid (alkaline substances), potassium iodide (H2S removal), caustic soda, sulfur (mercury removal), and silver (antibacterial applications).
• PFAS Removal Activated Carbon Solutions Specialized activated carbon products for per- and polyfluorinated alkyl substances (PFAS) removal from drinking and wastewater, including Hydraffin CC 8x30 plus for drinking water PFAS removal (effective against short-chain PFAS) and Epibon A 8x30 for wastewater treatment in high organic content environments.
• Thermal Reactivation Services for Spent Activated Carbon Thermal reactivation of spent activated carbon at three dedicated reactivation plants in Germany and Austria, providing an environmentally friendly and cost-saving alternative to disposal and fresh carbon purchase.

Named customers6 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Standard PurificationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 18 July 2016In July 2016, Donau Carbon GmbH merged its US activities with Standard Purification, an independent producer of activated carbon products. The merged entity operates as 'Donau Carbon US LLC' at the Standard Purification facilities in Dunnellon, FL. Standard Purification brought expertise in municipal water, industrial, flue gas and agricultural applications, complementing Donau Carbon's diverse product portfolio.
• ACPA (Activated Carbon Producers Association)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDonau Carbon is one of the founders of the ACPA consortium formed for REACH registration of activated carbon in the European Union. The consortium prepared an extensive registration dossier filed with the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) in 2010. ACPA consortium members jointly worked out additional registration information.
• Donau Chemie AGcoreOthersParent company based in Vienna, Austria. Donau Carbon is a business unit of Donau Chemie AG, a 170-year-old diversified chemical producer with more than 950 employees worldwide. Donau Chemie supplies products across four business units including inorganic chemicals, chemical raw materials, activated carbon, and liquid/paste products for cosmetics.
• Donau Carbon Philippines Corp.coreOthersSubsidiary company located in El Salvador City, Misamis Oriental, Philippines. The production plant opened in April 2011, producing high quality granular activated carbon on coconut shell basis under German management. ISO-certified facility operating according to German quality and safety standards.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves10 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Haycarb PLC: Haycarb is a publicly listed Sri Lankan manufacturer of coconut shell-based activated carbon with a global distribution network, directly comparable to Donau Carbon's Philippines-produced coconut shell GAC franchise used in gold recovery and air filtration.
• Carbon Activated Corporation: Carbon Activated Corporation is a US-based activated carbon manufacturer and reactivation service provider serving municipal, industrial, and air treatment markets—directly comparable to Donau Carbon US LLC's product and service portfolio.
• Ingevity Corporation: Ingevity's Performance Materials segment includes activated carbon products derived from coconut shells for automotive, water, and food applications—directly comparable to Donau Carbon's ALCARBON, Hydraffin, and Coconut-based GAC offerings.
• Calgon Carbon (Kuraray): Calgon Carbon, owned by Kuraray, is one of the world's largest activated carbon manufacturers with a broad product portfolio spanning powdered, granular, and extruded grades for water, air, and industrial applications—directly comparable to Donau Carbon's full-spectrum AC offering.
• Jacobi Carbons (Filtration Group): Jacobi Carbons is a major global activated carbon producer offering coal-, coconut-, and wood-based grades plus reactivation services—directly comparable to Donau Carbon's product mix, raw material diversity, and reactivation-plant footprint.
• Silcarbon Aktivkohle GmbH: Silcarbon is a German-based manufacturer of activated carbon for gas, water, and industrial applications, including impregnated grades—closely comparable to Donau Carbon's German operations and impregnation capabilities.

Broad incumbents

• Cabot Corporation: Cabot Corporation acquired Norit, the historic European activated carbon leader, and is a large diversified specialty chemicals company with a meaningful carbon purification business; comparable as a broad incumbent in the same product category rather than a focused AC specialist.
• Veolia Water Technologies: Veolia Water Technologies operates large-scale municipal and industrial water treatment facilities worldwide and is a major buyer of activated carbon—comparable as a broad incumbent downstream player in Donau Carbon's core water-treatment end market.
• Evoqua Water Technologies: Evoqua is a large water treatment solutions provider that consumes activated carbon as part of broader filtration and treatment systems; relevant as a broad incumbent that touches Donau Carbon's downstream customer base rather than as a direct AC competitor.

Emerging players

• Puragen Activated Carbons: Puragen Activated Carbons is a US-based manufacturer specializing in coconut shell-based granular activated carbon for potable water, food/beverage, and air treatment—comparable as a focused emerging player in Donau Carbon's specialty GAC niche.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Subsidiaries4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Donau Carbon