Using Active Carbon to Remove Particles???

What?!

Don’t we burn wood and coal which creates particle pollution and smoke that adds to greenhouse gasses? Yes, people have burned wood for a very long time, releasing smoke and gasses into our environment.

So how is it made?

Dense fibrous wood like hardwood or coconut shells are best to turn firewood into coal. It is normally cooked in a contained environment to speed up the process of creating charcoal. Once the charcoal is thoroughly cooked it has to be cooled down and rinsed to remove ashes. It is then crushed down and dried. Next the charcoal is mixed with calcium chloride or alternatives like lemon juice. Then the charcoal is cooked again to be activated.

Active carbon is a type of coal that is made from burning wood at high temperatures. Charcoal is treated with oxygen to open up millions of tiny pores between the carbon atoms. Each carbon particle/granule of carbon provides a large surface area/pore structure, allowing contaminants the maximum possible exposure to the active sites within the filter media. One pound (450 g) of activated carbon contains a surface area of approximately 100 acres. Active charcoal carbon filters are most effective at removing chlorine, sediment, volatile organic compounds (VOCs), taste and odour from water.

How does activated carbon remove particles?

Charcoal filters come in different forms such as solid carbon, impregnated foam materials, powder and cloth. The use of special manufacturing techniques results in highly porous charcoals that have surface areas of 300-2,000 square meters per gram. These so-called active, or activated, charcoals are widely used to adsorb odorous or colored substances from gases or liquids. The word adsorb is important here. When a material adsorbs something, it attaches to it by chemical attraction. The huge surface area of activated charcoal gives it countless bonding sites. When certain chemicals pass next to the carbon surface, they attach to the surface and are trapped.

The most advanced activated carbon filters, like those found in Blueair air purifiers, are infused with other compounds like magnesium dioxide and copper oxide to remove even more hazardous pollutants from the air, such as carbon monoxide, ethylene oxide, and ozone. Some modern activated carbon filters are also more adept at preventing a buildup of bacteria that can occur naturally over time.