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What is a Charcoal Air Filter?

Charcoal air filters are used to remove many airborne pollutants. They are an essential component for air purifiers to be able to effectively remove odors and volatile organic compounds (VOCs). 

They might seem complicated, but activated carbon uses fairly simple principles to enhance the air quality in your home.

These are simply filters made with activated charcoal, also known as activated carbon, which is carbon materials that are processed through a highly precise method that produces a product that is extremely porous and has a high surface area. While the exact numbers will vary based on the source material and the production method, a single spoonful of activated charcoal can have a surface space equal to a soccer field!

Charcoal air filters are essentially box filters that contain activated carbon. Using charcoal as a filtering media allows your purifier to filter out gases, smoke, and odors in your home. 

Activated charcoal is made from many different materials, including nut shells, wood, peat, and coconut shells. The material goes through a manufacturing process that first removes organic matter, which creates the pores that give the material such high surface space.

Next the material is “activated,” which is done through a chemical process or other methods. The activation enhances the material’s ability to grab and hold microscopic materials.


Why is Activated Charcoal So Effective at Filtration?

  • Can Remove Many Gas or Chemical Contaminants: Many airborne contaminants can be filtered out by activated charcoal air filters used in air cleaners. From smoke particles to vapors, most gases in your indoor air will be adsorbed by a carbon filter air purifying machine. 

  • Extremely Large Capacity: Another reason why activated charcoal filters are so effective in air purifying is their ability to remove a large amount of contaminants by volume. Activated charcoal has an extremely high surface space per volume, and this high surface space allows the material to grab on to particles that might otherwise pass through other filtering substances.

  • Works Effectively Under Various Conditions: Activated charcoal, when properly treated, also remains consistently useful even under different conditions. Changes in temperature, humidity, and other atmospheric changes rarely have a noticeable impact on the overall effectiveness of the materials. This means that no matter where you use it, no matter how hot or cold you keep your house, no matter what the humidity level at the time, the activated carbon filter remains consistently effective and can remove smells like mold odors.

  • Safe, Proven Filtering Method: Activated carbon air filters are safe to handle. It is inherently inert, meaning it is stable and un-reactive with other substances. It is safe to handle in your home and can be used in various locations, such as the office or commercial settings, without concern.

 

Activated Charcoal In Addition to HEPA Filter Media

To understand air purifiers, we need to differentiate between activated charcoal air filters and HEPA filters.

HEPA filter media creates a type of filtration system that has been rated to trap small and large particles. This includes dust, pollen, mold spores, pet dander, and more. 
Carbon filters don't filter the same particles that HEPA filters do and vice versa. If your main concerns are dust, pollen, and pet dander you need HEPA filters. If your main concerns are odors, smoke, and VOCs you need carbon filtration. 

 

Oransi Air Purifiers that Use Charcoal Air Filters

TrueCarbon™ Air Purifiers

Oransi's TrueCarbon™ air purifiers offer heavy duty carbon filtration. The filter measures 2 inches in depth and has over 3 pounds of packed treated carbon to filter out the toughest VOCs, secondhand smoke (tobacco, marijuana, or vape), wildfire smoke, and dangerous gasses. 

Most purifiers claiming to have carbon only have a thin sheet (or maximum a half of a pound of carbon), which unfortunately won’t make a noticeable difference. You'll notice the benefits of having the TrueCarbon™ purifier in your home.

 

Mod+ Air Purifier

The Mod+ air purifier is one of the most powerful and effective units for cleaning the air in large areas, including basements and large living areas. It achieves outstanding efficiency and effectiveness through a wide range of advanced technologies, but one of the most important materials is the activated carbon air filter.

This air purifier uses one filter to remove toxins and air pollution, the first of which is a proprietary charcoal filter for gas control. It has an activated carbon filter as well as a pre-filter and HEPA filter in the one combination filter.