The activated carbon filter is the second stage of the 3-stage filter cartridge, located between the pre-filter and the HEPA filter. Its job is to remove chemicals, gases and odors such as tobacco smoke.
The activated carbon air filter is made up of a vast matrix of molecular-sized pores. These pores are highly absorbent, chemically bonding to odorous, gaseous, and liquid contaminants.
Activated carbon is a charcoal treated with oxygen. This process opens millions of tiny pores between the carbon atoms, resulting in a highly absorbent material. Today's usual activated carbons are made from coal, peat, coconut shells, and wood. Working like charcoal "sponges," they absorb many types of organic compounds from the air or water — like benzene, toluene, and acetonitrile, as well as metals such as lead.
Activation opens millions of microscopic pores in the carbonized shells, enabling them to hold onto chemical molecules like benzene. Another step, called oxidation, confers a negative charge to the shells that helps capture metal ions, such as those in solution.
Today's activated carbons are so porous that a single gram can have over 900 square meters of surface area. A pound can have up to 465,000 square meters—owing to the materials' micro-, meso-, and macro-sized pores.You can learn more about activated carbon on the USDA website.
List of
pollutants that activated carbon filters have been shown to
remove.
Anti-Bacterial Pre-Filter
Activated Carbon Air Filter
HEPA Filter
Germicidal Ultra-Violet Light
Ozone Option
Air Ionizer