 |
|
|
Activated Carbons and Potassium Permanganate
The standard media utilized in all the Woverine Brand filters is catalytic activated carbon Darco H2S. The only product not utilizing this as a standard media is the WLV-4 residential vent filter. The WLV-4 utilizes GC-C40 GAC activated carbon. All of the Wolverine Brand Filters are availabe with a variety of activated carbons and potassium permanganate or a blend of medias as an option to resolve your specific type of odorous compound. Activated carbon is a porous material that removes organic compounds from liquids and gases through a process known as “adsorption.” Their are 3 basic types of activated carbon each with its own application. Activated carbon can also be blended with other media to allow for the removal of various types of odorous compounds not readily adsorbed with one type of activated carbon. 1. Standard activated carbon also called GAC or General Activated Carbon works by capturing hydrogen sulfide and various organic molecules within the graphitic platelet structure of the carbon granules. Activated carbon has a specific capacity for each of these compounds; once this capacity is reached, subsequent incoming compounds “breakthrough” untreated. 2. Caustically impregnated carbons using sodium hydroxide or potassium hydroxide were introduced in the late 1970’s to improve activated carbon’s hydrogen sulfide removal performance. While standard carbons have a generally poor H2S removal capacity, the addition of caustic soda produced an activated carbon with a greatly enhanced H2S capacity. With caustically impregnated carbons, the H2S molecule is first physically adsorbed and then converted to sulfur through a chemical reaction with the caustic, hence the term “chemisorption”. Activated carbon has a much greater capacity for sulfur than for H2S and as a result, caustically impregnated carbon’s H2S capacity was usually on the order of five to seven times greater than standard carbon. This enhanced performance did not come without a price, however. The impregnated carbon sacrifices capacity for all compounds other than H2S, and has a lower ignition temperature than standard carbon, which greatly increases the chances of experiencing a carbon bed fire. 3.Catalytic carbons are the newest class of activated carbons for odor control. These carbons also exhibit an enhanced capacity for H2S, but achieve this increased capacity differently than do caustically impregnated or blended carbons. Catalytic carbons convert adsorbed H2S into sulfuric acid and sulfurous acid, which is stored more efficiently on carbon than is H2S (but not as efficiently as elemental sulfur). A key advantage of catalytic carbons is that the converted acids are water soluble, allowing the carbon to be regenerated in place by simply washing it with water. Catalytic carbons do not have impregnants and therefore do not exhibit the reduced organic odor capacity nor increased bed fire potentials of the impregnated carbons. 4. Blended carbon medias are close relatives to caustically impregnated carbons. In this case, the metal oxide (typically magnesium oxide) is added in solid form at the beginning of the manufacturing process, rather than sprayed on in liquid form at the end of the manufacturing process. As with caustically impregnated carbons, blended medias attempt to enhance the carbon’s H2S capacity by promoting a chemical reaction between the H2S and the metal oxide to form elemental sulfur. Blended carbon medias, like their impregnated cousins, also have relatively depleted capacity for organic compounds since the magnesium oxide is a non-adsorptive material that does not contribute to adsorption of organic compounds. However, blended medias do not exhibit the lowered ignition temperatures that are a characteristic of impregnated carbons. Activated carbons for odor control are not all created equal, but can be broken down into several classes: Simple Solutions carries a full line of each type of activated carbon. They are broken down as follows; a description is found on each product page.
|
||||||||||
| |||||||||||
