Here’s my understanding but I won’t swear by it:
N330 and its brethren are forms of carbon black, which is produced by pyrolysis of atomized oil. This forms granules that have a high surface-to-volume ratio, but not as high as that of activated carbon. It’s mostly this extraordinary surface-to-volume ratio that gives activated carbon it’s absorbent properties.
Activated carbon is made by pyrolysis (usually after chemical treatment) of carbon-bearing materials, like wood and coal, that already have a porous structure. This yields a very porous grain that can’t be achieved by the atomization technique used for carbon black.
Carbon black will have some of the same absorbent properties of activated carbon, but to a lesser degree.