Esco Nanocarb™ Activated Carbon Filtration

Esco's ductless fume cabinets incorporate a state-of-the-art vapour phase Nanocarb™ activated carbon filter system, which is the primary filtration component in removing all chemical fumes from within the hood before air is recirculated back to the laboratory.

How activated carbon works:

Activated carbon is a porous material manufactured from carbon-based raw materials. These include coal, peat, coconut and wood. The activation process develops pores of nanometer sizes within the carbon particle. These give the carbon an extremely high internal porosity and surface area. Typically, activated carbons contain surface areas in the range of 500-2000 m2/g.

The basic mechanism through which activated carbon removes impurities from contaminated air saturated with chemical fumes is referred to as physical adsorption.

Physical adsorption is a phenomenon resulting from intermolecular forces of attraction (London dispersion forces) between the impurities and the internal surfaces of the activated carbon. Activated carbon has the strongest physical adsorption forces or the highest volume of adsorbing porosity of any material known to mankind.

In general, standard Esco Nanocarb™ activated carbon filters work at an efficiency level of >95% across a broad spectrum of chemical compounds.  Chemicals with a relative molecular weight over 30 and a boiling point higher than 60°C or 140°F can be adsorbed with a relatively high efficiency by activated carbon filtration. While activated carbon filters are suitable for use with many chemicals, a number of factors need to be taken into account to evaluate the suitability of a carbon filter for your operations.