What Carbon Chemistry does

Carbon Chemistry is a privately held specialty separation science company based in Aurora, Colorado, founded in 2017 and operating with 1–10 employees. The company sells adsorption media — including activated carbon (GAC and PAC), silica gel, alumina, magnesium silicate (notably its proprietary registered MagSil-PR® grade), molecular sieves, attapulgite, and montmorillonite/bleaching earth — together with HPLC-grade solvents, specialty gases, and filtration hardware. Its technical approach is mechanism-first: media selection is driven by three adsorption variables — surface chemistry (polarity), pore geometry, and capacity — and the company will explicitly recommend competitors or advise against media-only solutions when appropriate.

The commercial model is built on quote-based direct sales with no minimum-order requirement, supported by a live receptionist line and a distributor network. Carbon Chemistry serves a heterogeneous customer base spanning distributors, processors, laboratories, industrial buyers, water utilities, and municipalities, with primary verticals being PFAS remediation for utilities and industrial operators facing point-of-discharge PFAS compliance, and secondary verticals including battery materials recovery, e-waste processing, pharmaceutical/food purification, and chromatography. The company is currently piloting a managed-service offering called Filtration as a Service (FaaS), which covers system design, media specification, deployment, monitoring, and spent-carbon handling for small and mid-sized community water systems facing EPA PFAS MCLs of 4 ppt for PFOA and PFOS (2031 compliance deadline).

Marketing is conducted primarily through an educational Science Library of five foundational articles on adsorption science and four articles on PFAS and GAC, positioning the company as a technical resource rather than a product vendor. A distributor portal at pay.carbonchemistry.com is scheduled to launch in Q3 2026. The company is independently owned with no parent, no disclosed external funding, and operates exclusively in the United States. Sheldon Lotspeich is co-founder and president.

Name

Carbon Chemistry

Legal name

Carbon Chemistry

Website

https://carbonchemistry.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2017

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Carbon Chemistry is a specialty separation science company based in Aurora, Colorado that supplies adsorption media, solvents, and consumables to industrial, municipal, and laboratory buyers, and is piloting a managed Filtration as a Service for PFAS remediation.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Specialty Adsorption Media

NAICS

Chemical and Allied Products Merchant Wholesalers (4246), Other Chemical and Allied Products Merchant Wholesalers (42469), Remediation Services (562910)

SIC

Industrial Inorganic Chemicals (2810)

akta.pro primary industry

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

akta.pro secondary industries

Activated Carbon & Carbon Adsorbents (IMAEAIAF), Adsorption & Taste/Odor Control (GAC/PAC, Air Stripping) (EUANABAF)

Keywords

• Adsorption media supply
• PFAS remediation services
• Specialty separation chemicals
• Activated carbon distribution
• Industrial filtration media

Headquarters

HQ city

Aurora

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Adsorption Media Sales: Sale of adsorption media including activated carbon (GAC, PAC), silica gel, alumina, magnesium silicate, molecular sieves, attapulgite, and montmorillonite. Products sold to distributors, processors, laboratories, and industrial buyers. Pricing by quote based on volume, grade, and packaging.
2. Solvents and Consumables: HPLC-grade and reagent-grade solvents for chromatography and solvent-based process chemistry, plus specialty gases and associated hardware (columns, frits, filtration hardware).
3. Filtration as a Service (FaaS): Managed service model for PFAS remediation where Carbon Chemistry owns, deploys, operates, and maintains treatment systems. The utility receives treated water meeting agreed effluent specifications. Covers system deployment, media management, performance guarantee, and spent carbon disposition.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Carbon Chemistry is a specialty separation science company that supplies adsorption media — including activated carbon (GAC and PAC), silica gel, alumina, magnesium silicate, molecular sieves, attapulgite, and montmorillonite — along with HPLC-grade solvents, specialty gases, and laboratory/process consumables and hardware. The company also offers Filtration as a Service (FaaS), a managed PFAS remediation program for utilities and municipalities covering system design, media specification, deployment, monitoring, and spent-carbon lifecycle management. Sales are quote-based with no minimum order, supported by technical consultation.

Product overview

Carbon Chemistry is a specialty separation science company offering adsorption media, solvents, and consumables for laboratory and industrial-scale separation, along with a managed Filtration as a Service offering. The core product portfolio consists of seven primary adsorption media categories: Silica Gel, Aluminum Oxide (Alumina), Attapulgite/Palygorskite, Montmorillonite/Bleaching Earth, MagSil-PR® (Magnesium Silicate), Activated Carbon (available as GAC and PAC), and Molecular Sieves (in 3Å, 4Å, 5Å, and 13X grades). These are complemented by Solvents & Gases and Consumables & Hardware. The Filtration as a Service (FaaS) program, currently in pilot phase, provides a managed model for PFAS remediation covering system deployment, media management, performance guarantees, and spent carbon disposition. The company also maintains an educational Science Library covering adsorption principles, polarity, surface area, and pore geometry. No public API is offered; the company transacts through direct sales with pricing by request.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• MagSil-PR®: Proprietary registered grade magnesium silicate for selective polar compound removal, specifically formulated for high-purity applications

Products and services

• Silica Gel
• Aluminum Oxide (Alumina) Highly polar, amphoteric adsorbent supplied in acidic, basic, neutral, and Super I grades for column chromatography, desiccation, and polar compound removal. Sold to laboratories and industrial separation buyers.
• Attapulgite / Palygorskite Fibrous clay mineral supplied in standard and acid-activated grades for decolorization of edible oils and industrial fluids, with temperature stability for process-scale applications.
• Montmorillonite / Bleaching Earth Layered smectite clay supplied in natural and acid-activated grades for edible oil bleaching and process-stream decolorization with broad surface area.
• MagSil-PR® (Magnesium Silicate) Proprietary registered grade of magnesium silicate supplied in MagSil-PR® and standard PR variants for selective polar compound removal in high-purity applications.
• Activated Carbon High-surface-area carbonaceous adsorbent supplied in granular (GAC) and powdered (PAC) forms for nonpolar compounds, color bodies, taste and odor removal, and PFAS adsorption at appropriate pore distribution.
• Molecular Sieves Crystalline aluminosilicate zeolites supplied in 3Å, 4Å, 5Å, and 13X grades for drying, gas separation, and size-exclusion applications.
• Solvents & Gases HPLC-grade and reagent-grade solvents for chromatography and solvent-based process chemistry, plus specialty gases for separation and drying applications.
• Consumables & Hardware Columns, frits, filtration hardware, and associated consumables for laboratory and process-scale separation.
• Filtration as a Service (FaaS) Managed filtration service for utilities and municipalities facing PFAS compliance obligations, covering system design, media specification, deployment, monitoring, and spent-carbon handling with a performance guarantee and treated-water effluent specification.

Quantifiable outcome

• GAC removal efficiencies for long-chain PFAS (PFOS, PFOA) typically exceed 85-90% under standard conditions; well-designed systems routinely achieve greater than 95% removal.

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• LANXESS: Global specialty chemicals company with Lewatit ion exchange resins and liquid purification technologies serving water treatment and industrial separations. Comparable as a major adsorbent and resin supplier.
• Purolite (Ecolab): Global manufacturer of ion exchange resins and adsorbent media for pharma, food, and water purification. Comparable as a specialty separation-media supplier spanning lab, pharma, and utility markets.
• Jacobi Carbons: Global activated carbon manufacturer and reactivation specialist serving water treatment, food, pharma, and industrial applications. Directly comparable product portfolio (GAC/PAC) and end markets.
• Calgon Carbon (Kuraray): Largest North American producer of activated carbon (GAC/PAC) with deep utility water-treatment relationships and reactivation infrastructure. Directly comparable to Carbon Chemistry's flagship activated carbon offering and FaaS-adjacent utility strategy.
• Cabot Corporation: Global specialty chemicals company with a major activated carbon and performance materials business serving water, air, and industrial purification. Comparable as a large-scale supplier of adsorption media into overlapping industrial and environmental markets.
• ResinTech: US-based manufacturer of ion exchange and specialty adsorption media for water treatment, including PFAS removal applications. Comparable as a specialty media company with utility and industrial separation focus.

Regional players

• Thermax Limited: India-based diversified energy and environmental company with activated carbon production for water and air applications. Comparable product category (activated carbon) and water-treatment exposure, but primarily serves geographies outside the US.

Broad incumbents

• Evoqua Water Technologies: Large US water-treatment services and equipment provider (now under Veolia) with active PFAS remediation offerings for utilities. Adjacent competitor as an established incumbent offering overlapping capabilities as part of a wider portfolio.
• Veolia Water Technologies: Global environmental services and water-treatment incumbent with mobile PFAS treatment systems and a strong utility footprint. Comparable end-market exposure with broader geographic and service portfolio.
• ChemTreat: Industrial water-treatment solutions provider serving industrial operators (a primary segment for Carbon Chemistry) with chemicals, equipment, and technical services. Comparable industrial water-treatment customer overlap.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 Carbon Chemistry