#Activated carbon filter air purifier how to

So what are VOCs and how do they get into the air in your home? While its quite clear what odors and gases, VOCs is a more technical term that not everyone is aware of. You might hear the term VOCs very often when it comes to home air purification. What are Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) ? When it comes to Air Purification, Activated Carbon is the most reliable and effective solution against gases, odors and Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs). It is also used in human health related applications like removing poisons. Today, Activated Carbon is used in a variety of purification processes both industrial and consumer-related. One of the most famous uses is that of being used in Gas Masks by the British army against chemical warfare. Very soon the process of activation of Charcoal was also devised which vastly increased the filtration capabilities of the charcoal.Īfter the invention of Activated Carbon, it began to be used in a variety of applications. At some point in history, the filtration properties of Charcoal were discovered. The most important application for charcoal throughout history has been as a fuel for producing metals. How did Activated Carbon come to be used for Air Purification?Ĭharcoal has been used for a very long time as a source of clean burning fuel. Now this Activated Carbon is ready to used for air purification. This process removes Carbon atoms from the charcoal which creates more space in the structure and thus “Activates” it. The charcoal is activated by passing steam over it at very high temperatures. This internal space in the Charcoal is what is needed to adsorb gases and other Volatile Organic Compounds in your indoor air. The goal of Activating the Charcoal is to increase the internal space in it. Remember that the Charcoal contains pretty much pure Carbon at this point. This ensures that all the water and other volatile compounds in the wood are removed without burning too much of the wood itself. On an industrial scale, Charcoal is produced by heating wood in the absence of oxygen.

If you have ever had a campfire, at the end the completely black leftovers are what is charcoal. Charcoal is what is left over when wood is burned and all the water and other volatile parts are burned off. What is Activated Carbon, how is it produced?Īctivated Carbon is a material produced from charcoal. Now, lets find out what Activated Carbon is and how it actually works in filtering out odors, gases and VOCs.

This Activated Charcoal is able to adsorb odors, gases and Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) from the air. Activated Carbon filters have a layer of Activated Carbon (sometimes called Activated Charcoal), through which the air is passed. What is an Activated Carbon Filter used in Air Purifiers?Īctivated Carbon filters are the most universally used method to filter out odors and gases from indoor air.

#Activated carbon filter air purifier how to

We will talk about what Activated Carbon filters for Air Purifiers are, how they work, how to get the best out of them on your Air Purifier and more questions that you might have.

Today, we would like to dig into this topic a bit. A common tagline for most Air Purifiers is “Contains Activated Carbon filter for odors and VOCs”.