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How Do Charcoal Filters Work?

time2011/10/12

Charcoal is a form of nearly pure carbon. It is created through burning organic matter in an nitrogen purifier inert atmosphere and siphoning or leaching out any impurities. Nutshells, peat, wood or coal can be heated to between 600 and 900 degrees Fahrenheit while surrounded by argon or nitrogen. The end product is either powdered or granulated charcoal (carbon). It has a very high surface area and is extremely porous. A single gram can feature between 300 and 2,000 square meters of surface area.
Additional special processing can create either activated or impregnated carbon. The nitrogen purifier process spreads out the individual carbon atoms and allows them to react with impurities more efficiently. This step can also create even higher surface areas in the material.
A carbon filter works a lot like a sponge. It soaks up targeted impurities in the substance that is being filtered. However, the contaminants do not comingle with the charcoal. Instead, they cling to the surface in a process called adsorption. The higher the surface area of the charcoal, the more space there is available for capturing impurities. Of course, the substance that is being filtered must be one that does not react with carbon. That way, only the impurities are adsorbed.
Other filters are made to capture odors, smoke and volatile nitrogen purifier in the air. These are used as home and office air purifiers. Large-scale charcoal filtration is used in many industries to purify air and liquids prior to their use in manufacturing or to reduce pollution in the effluent that is disposed of afterward. Alcohol is also filtered through carbon to remove impurities.