As you may or may not already know, carbon filters are made from a structure of activated carbon which helps to remove contaminants and impurities from the air. The carbon filters work by having a pore-like structure made up of activated carbon particles, which can provide a large surface area for chemical absorption of the contaminants that come into contact with it.

Carbon filters come in all shapes and sizes and can be applied to a wide range of uses, to help maintain clean air in different working environments. Depending on the type of use, whether it is for medical or manufacturing for example, a carbon filter can help maintain the integrity and cleanliness of an environment where it is required to be clean and filtered to a high standard, such as for health and safety reasons.

What are the Most Common Applications for Carbon Filters?

Carbon filters are used in a range of industries and can be supplied to fit a wide catalogue of equipment and machinery. We have provided a list of the most common industry uses for carbon filters, which you may not have known required such a high level of clean air purity:

• Laboratories – In many labs, carbon filters are used to help remove contaminants from the environment such as harmful gases from chemicals used in the lab, and to help minimise the amount of dust in the room which could compromise work that is being carried out.
• Hospitals – In a similar way to labs, it is important that carbon filters are used to help remove dust that may be in the air, especially in areas such as operating theatres where it is essential that every surface is as clean as possible.
• Petrochemical & Pharmaceutical – Carbon filters are regularly used in the production of medications, a similar use to that of any typical lab environment (although there are of course, many different kinds of lab) where surfaces and the air as must remain as clean and dust-free as possible. In this application, the carbon filter would help to minimise the amount of potentially harmful gas produced as a bi-products of petrochemical production or use.
• Metal processing – Filters are commonly used to protect from contamination caused by processes such as welding, which may include molecular pollutants that can result in odours, corrosive interactions or the presence of toxins that may pose a danger to staff and the atmosphere.
• Nuclear power generation & Isotope production - Incorporated into safety systems, carbon filters are used here to provide protection against toxic gases, radioactive particulates and other hazardous contaminants.
• Wastewater & Landfill sites – Carbon filters are often supplied to be used for odour control at landfill sites, sewage, organic waste and wastewater plants. Tank Breather filters are also available for the control of discharges/displaced air arising from tank emptying, filling and temperature effects. Impregnated grades of carbon are selected to enhance the removal of specific contaminants.
• Military – Carbon filters used for military applications must meet strict specifications such as being specifically designed to provide the high-performance removal of NBC (Nuclear, Biological and Chemical) CBRN (Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear) contaminants and protection against odours, gases and airborne particles. Military standard carbon filters must also often meet weight restrictions, minimum service life requirements, access and size limitations and shock resistance.

Less Well-known Uses for Carbon Filters

All of the industrial applications mentioned above seem obvious when you consider that we all have a basic understanding of what is required to operate safely within each of those industries. Interestingly, there are some less well-known applications for carbon filters which you may not have thought of.

• Telecommunications, Electronics, Computers and Avionics - To protect sensitive equipment from particle and dust contamination, dust and particle filters are specifically designed for the Telecommunications/Electronics industry. Fire Retardant and Radio Frequency Interference versions can also available on request.
• Hotels, Airports & Offices – Carbon filter applications can range from small scale ventilation to large volume air handling systems such as those in the travel and tourism industry. Filters are available in most standard sizes or may be designed using CAD (computer-aided design) and manufactured in any quantity to meet particular dimensions and specification requirements for their intended use.
• Museums, Libraries, Archives & Galleries - Air filters have been selected by many leading museums and art galleries to protect artefacts from the ravages of airborne pollutants. Carbon filters are used to help control the amount of damaging atmospheric pollutant gases which could be present and cause damage to the objects being displayed or stored. This protocol is in use today by many of the national museums and art galleries around the world. Filtering the air provides an extremely cost-effective way for conservationists to protect valuable artefacts and paintings.
• Catering & food manufacturing - Filters are extensively used by the catering industry to meet the odour control requirements of Environmental Health Departments and Local Authorities. Carbon filters are also employed within the food processing sector to protect machinery from the ingress of food ingredients and the food process line from external contamination.
• Agriculture – Including water filtering
• Schools & Universities – In the same way as hotels, airports, hospitals and laboratories.
• Respiratory masks – to protect the wearer from inhaling toxic substances.

There are so many uses for carbon filters, as you can see from this list, that we will look to write another piece on further uses of carbon filters in the future – highlighting a few of the more niche areas where these filters have been used, some of which you may never have thought would require a filtration system at all.

Need Some Help with Choosing the Right Carbon Filters for Your Organisation?

The team at Absolute Carbon Filters have a wealth of experience and knowledge on a wide range of carbon filter products for different applications. Contact our friendly team online to discuss your needs and get some advice, or to discuss a quote. You can also call us on 01252 788096.