Depending on the acceptable level of odor in the greenhouse or exiting air, it may be necessary to take a carbon filter offline well before saturation is reached. Filter manufacturers know this and strive to supply filters that approach the ideal filter performance.

The sharper breakthrough and the more vertical the rise, the easier it is to use the entire capacity of the activated carbon filter. activated carbon pellets manufacturer In general, the slower the flow rate through the filter, the closer the filter will operate to the limit of ideal performance.

Thus, if odor is exiting the filter above the acceptable level, the recommended strategy is to slow the flow rate thorough a filter (using a fan speed controller) to cause the exiting concentration of odor compound to decrease to below the acceptable level.

Over the life of the filter, a series of flow reductions will allow the largest total amount of odor to be removed while maintaining an acceptable odor level in the growing space.

Ultimately, the capacity in an activated carbon filter is determined by how much carbon there is and the quality of that carbon. It is relatively easy to make an activated carbon filter that looks good right out of the blocks—all the available holes are empty and they grab the first thing they encounter, but the ultimate value of an activated carbon filter is how long it provides ongoing improvement of the air passing through it.

Activated carbon quality is like octane in gasoline; you can definitely pack more of it into a given amount of weight or space. coconut shell activated charcoal Activated carbon quality is determined on a weight basis, per pound of material, through a number of tests, such as iodine number, BET surface area and butane activity.

Activated carbons differ in density, or how much weight per unit volume. Thus, one can have a really high capacity (like octane) times a really low density (like popcorn), and one ends up with much less in the tank, so to speak.