How to Produce Qualified Activated Carbon Air Filters

1. What is an activated carbon filter?

Activated carbon filter is made of activated carbon filter material, because the material is composed of meltblown and other filter materials and activated carbon together, and has a filtering effect on both particulate matter and gas compounds. Some manufacturers call it a double-effect filter.

2. Applications of Activated Carbon Filters

Activated carbon filters are used in a wide range of applications.

Activated carbon filters are used in home air purifiers to remove grease and smoke from kitchens, odors from restaurants, smells from pets, and harmful gases from outdoors.

Activated carbon filters are also used in HAVC, clean room, etc. They are used in conjunction with high efficiency filters to ensure the air quality inside offices and workshops to maintain human health and product quality.

Another application of activated carbon filters is automotive air conditioning filters. Whether it is a family car or a transportation vehicle, driving on the road raises sand and dust, and there are many harmful gases in the environment. The accessories inside the car are also a major source of VOCs release. Therefore, in order to maintain good air quality inside the car, activated carbon filters are a good choice.

3. Classification and composition of activated carbon air filter media

There are two main types of activated carbon air filter media, one is sandwich activated carbon filter media, with filter materials such as meltblown fabric or glass fiber on both sides and activated carbon particles in the middle.

Another is activated carbon fiber felts filter media, nonwoven polyester air filter media is impregnated 150% with finely ground activated carbon coating and heat set to retain the coating when the media is rinsed or vacuumed free of dust.

Sandwich structure is more widely used. Selecting the right filter material and activated carbon is equally important. The filter material should focus on indicators such as filtration efficiency, resistance, and support strength, while the activated carbon should focus on indicators such as specific surface area, pore size, and iodine value.

4.     From activated carbon filter media to filters

The filter media and activated carbon are laminated. The activated carbon is laid flat on top of the filter media, compacted, and held in place with a non-toxic adhesive. The activated carbon is then covered with another layer of filter media and shaped into a roll. Using equipment such as pleating and gluing machines, the activated carbon filter media is made into a filter.

4.1 Material preparation

Activated carbon is the core material of activated carbon air filter, and usually high quality barnacle coal, charcoal or coconut shell charcoal are used as raw materials. These raw materials have been carbonized, activated and other processing processes, and have a high specific surface area and adsorption capacity. In addition, it is necessary to prepare auxiliary materials such as filter material, filter mesh and shell, which play the role of support and filtration.

4.2 Production process

4.2.1 Activated carbon preparation: The raw materials are carbonized and then treated using chemical activation or physical activation methods to produce activated carbon materials with a large number of microporous structures. These micro-pores can provide a larger specific surface area, thus increasing the adsorption capacity.

4.2.2 Filter material preparation: The filter material is processed into suitable shapes and sizes, such as flakes, granules or fibers. The filter material is usually made of high-efficiency filter material, which can filter the airborne particles and ensure the filtration effect.

4.2.3 Filter preparation: Select suitable materials to make the filter, so that it has a certain strength and filtration capacity. The main function of the filter is to block the larger particles and protect the filter material from being contaminated.

4.2.4 Assembly of components: Assemble the filter material and the filter screen, and make a reasonable layout and connection according to the design requirements. At the same time, fill the activated carbon into the filter material to ensure the adsorption function of the filter.

4.2.5 Shell fabrication: Select appropriate shell material, put the assembled filter into the shell, and ensure that the shell has certain sealing and structural stability.

5. Testing of activated carbon filter media and filters

Testing of activated carbon filter media, according to ISO 10121-1 Test method for assessing the performance of gas-phase air cleaning media and devices for general ventilation- Part 1: Gas-phase air cleaning media。

Testing of activated carbon filter, according to ISO 10121-2 Test method for assessing the performance of gas-phase air cleaning media and devices for general ventilation- Part 2: Gas-phase air cleaning devices and ISO11155-2 Road vehicle – Air filters for passenger compartments – Part 2: Test for gaseous filtration。

Test indicator including differential pressure (resistance to air flow rate), efficiency (removal efficiency), capacity and desorption (retentivity).

Knowing the standards that activated carbon filtration materials and filters need to meet and the indicators to be tested, which instruments can test these indicators?

SC-13011CG Chemical Gas Filtration Performance Testerfor activated carbon filter materials testing.

SC-11155 Cabin Air Filter Test System for finished product of activated carbon air filter testing.