This article presents optimization models that incorporated technologic and economic considerations in order to determine a best preliminary design for the unit process of granular carbon adsorption. Only the case of continuous reactivation was considered. Under some seasonal demand patterns, it may be more economical to operate the furnace on an intermittent basis. Such a policy would require the inclusion of additional startup and shutdown costs, and probably higher maintenance costs. These are not conveniently considered in the linear programing formulations; but this aspect could be investigated in the case of no off‐line storage by a dynamic programing approach.