Buy Activated Carbon
If you are looking for an activated carbon air filter to get rid of strong odors or harmful gases in your home, you have come to the right place to get all the details. Learn more about why people use carbon air purifiers, whether they work, and if you should use one to filter the air in your home.
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Activated carbon has special properties that allow it to remove volatile organic compounds (VOCs), odors, and other gaseous pollutants from the air. It accomplishes this in a way that is different from other air purifiers like HEPA that only filter particle pollution from the air. Carbon air filters trap gas molecules on a bed of charcoal, a process that has a surprisingly colorful history. Here you will dive deep into how they work. Then you can consider if using a carbon air filter will meet your needs by examining its advantages and drawbacks.
Carbon air filters are the filters most commonly used to remove gases. They are designed to filter gases through a bed of activated carbon (also called activated charcoal) and are usually used to combat volatile organic compounds (VOCs) released from common household products. They are also often used to remove odors from the air, such as the smell of tobacco smoke. They cannot remove fine particles like mold, dust, or pollen from the air.
These interchangeable terms refer to the remnants of incomplete combustion. Picture the charred piece of wood that is left over after a campfire. Only the readily combustible material in the wood has burned away, either because of insufficient heat or poor supply of oxygen. The black char that remains is mostly carbon. The industrial process of making charcoal accomplishes it by heating a substance in a vacuum chamber, which releases all the volatile compounds and leaves behind all the carbon. Wood is commonly used to make charcoal, but coconut shells and coal are also used. Each substance creates a slightly different kind of charcoal.
Activated carbon is carbon that has undergone some additional processing to make it better at trapping gas molecules. First, it is injected with hot air, carbon dioxide, or steam, which creates a lattice of tiny pores in the carbon, vastly increasing its surface area. This creates many more places for molecules to become trapped and makes the carbon far more effective as a filter medium. A paper by the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency notes that a single gram of activated carbon can have hundreds of square meters of internal surface area. Most activated carbon is also treated with a chemical that enhances its ability to filter specific pollutants.
How did humans figure out that carbon can be effective at filtering contaminants? It is likely the earliest use was to remove impurities in smelted metal for the manufacture of bronze. The Egyptians appear to have been the first to use it in a medical way, to remove odors associated with infections. We know that sailors in the 16th through 18th centuries often stored their drinking water in barrels that had either been charred or smeared with charcoal on the inside to keep the water fresh on long voyages.
In World War I, gas masks utilized charcoal air filters to remove some of the deadly gases used against the troops, but it was only effective against some of the toxins. The production and use of activated carbon grew dramatically only after World War II, eventually leading to the development of modern activated carbon air filters, as well as water filters.
Carbon is a lattice of carbon atoms connected to each other. The activation process is so important because the increase in surface area gives gases a greater area to stick to. When a molecule of some gaseous substance comes through the carbon, it can stick to the surface of the bed, provided there is an open adsorption site.
Please note that according to the EPA, gas-phase filters, like activated carbon, cannot readily remove carbon monoxide in homes, and employing other important steps, like having a carbon monoxide detector, must be used to prevent exposure.
Perhaps you would like to use a carbon filter to remove odors for the short term, such as during a wildfire or home renovation. Or maybe you are concerned about the VOCs being released in your home from household products or building materials (like formaldehyde). In these cases, using a carbon filter is an acceptable option.
However, for the long term, a carbon filter may not be the best investment from a cost standpoint. You would need to purchase one with a large amount of carbon within the filter, constantly monitor the saturation of the filter and replace it whenever needed. In addition, because it does not remove particles which are a major type of indoor air pollutant, you would only be addressing part of the problem of indoor air pollution. For these reasons, it may be wise to invest instead in a more robust solution. There are hybrid air purifiers that contain a carbon filter as well as a mechanical filter like HEPA.
Another option is a new technology called Photo Electrochemical Oxidation (PECO) that is found inside of the Molekule air purifier. The Molekule device is able to remove gases like volatile organic compounds, but unlike a carbon filter, it destroys them. Thus, there is no risk of these gases being released back into the air because of filter saturation. An activated carbon air filter can be a good short-term option, but in the long run, the Molekule could be a better solution for your needs.
Laboratory tests (please see test report one and two) were performed by the University of Minnesota Particle Calibration Laboratory of the Molekule air purifier. In one experiment, PECO was tested against a carbon filter. The carbon air filter was able to remove VOCs from the air through adsorption on the filter surface; however, once fresh air was introduced into the chamber, the gases were released back into the air (this is called outgassing). In contrast, the Molekule technology was able to eliminate the VOCs from the air with no danger of outgassing.
A reagglomerated, coal-based activated carbon, FILTRASORB has been proven by over 40 years of success in applications such as TOC reduction and contaminant removal from drinking water, wastewater treatment, and purification in the process water, food, pharmaceutical, and industrial arenas.
Nuchar SA-20 Activated Carbon is a chemically activated wood based powdered activated carbon/charcoal with unusually high adsorption capacity for a broad range of organics. Its high surface area and large volume of meso pores allow it to rapidly remove color, taste, and odor compounds from solution.
Nuchar SA-20 Activated Carbon is designed for those applications requiring a minimum amount of carbon to remove a maximum amount of impurities. Specific cost effective uses are in purification of food products such as corn syrups, citric acid, hydrolyzed vegetable protein, monosodium glutamate, juices, wine, and in pharmaceutical and fine chemical purification.
When the air inside your home, business or office smells a little less than fresh it may be time to get an activated carbon air filter. Between cooking, pets, kids and the outside world the indoors can have strong odors that are hard to get rid of completely.
The most important distinction is that activated carbon air filters have a layer of carbon for the filter material. You may also see activated charcoal air filters, which is the same thing as activated carbon.
The carbon is a form of charcoal, either coconut, wood or coal. To get very scientific, carbon is carbon atoms that are connected together in a latticework. The carbon used in air filters has been activated. That means the carbon material has gone through a process that makes it more porous and therefore able to capture more molecules. The carbon may also undergo a chemical process to improve its ability to filter certain air pollutants.
Instead of neutralizing odors, when an active carbon air filter needs to be replaced or cleaned it emits a foul odor. It can also begin releasing gas molecules that were captured as new molecules flowing through push them loose.
Activated carbon air filters are more expensive than conventional air filters so regular cleaning is a good idea. It will help improve efficiency and longevity so you get more out of every activated carbon air filter.
SIHA Activated Carbon FA fining agent is a purified activated carbon of vegetable origin that is capable of correcting color defects. The gentle activation process changes the inner surface of the carbon, making it specifically capable of adsorbing coloring substances. SIHA Activated Carbon FA fining agent can be used for wines, sweet must, juices, spirits, and sugar solutions.
Carbon filters incorporating activated carbon pellets are the ideal filtration system solution for hydroponic gardens. Apart from filtering air, carbon filters also trap odour molecules, mainly produced by plants such as chilli peppers, orchids, herbs & spices and thus serve a dual purpose of improving air circulation and keeping the cultivating area odour free.
Carbon is activated by burning it in an oxygen-depleting atmosphere. Similar to how wood smoulders in a stove when only a small amount of oxygen is present. In a kiln it is similar, but there is much less oxygen and the temperatures are much higher. When the carbon is exposed to these high temperatures in the presence of little oxygen and with excess steam, microscopic pores open up within the carbon. This creates a greater surface area and charges the carbon with positive electrons which attracts the negatively charged ions in the organic compound (i.e. smells and gases).
ALL activated carbon is rendered ineffective in an environment with humidity levels over 85%. Keep humidity levels below 80% or the odour absorbing reaction will be unable to take place inside the carbon.
Manufacturer of activated carbon for use in pollution control systems, solvent recovery systems, industrial wastewater filtration & purification. Specialty carbons also available for the organic vapor respirator industry, hydrogen sulfide & mercaptain adsorption & formaldehyde removal. Types include virgin coconut shell activated carbon, granular coal activated carbon & pelletized activated carbon. Spent non-hazardous reactivated carbon exchange & custom spent carbon reactivation services. Custom packaging & screening is available. 041b061a72