New Study Shows How Carbon Can Decrease Greenhouse Gases

Last week, a team of researchers at the Soft Materials Laboratory in Wyoming found that low-cost activated carbons were responsible for removing up to 90 percent of toxic carbon dioxide gas from the smokestacks of electrical power plants.

Such plants burned significant amounts of coal and other fossil fuels (major sources of greenhouse gases) which prompted the need for new and inexpensive methods to remove carbon dioxide gases from smokestacks. The study found that a new carbon dioxide capture process called a "Carbon Filter Process" was able to dramatically decrease carbon dioxide via inexpensive filters filled with porous carbonaceous sorbent that worked well at low pressures. Therefore, their data suggested that these simple carbon filters worked better than existing technologies at just a fraction of the cost.

These studies have corroborated the findings that many air purifier manufacturers have claimed for years; that activated carbon is one of the most effective materials known today for treating airborne gases, chemicals, and odors. Activated carbon, also known as activated charcoal or activated coal, is processed to make it extremely porous with a large surface area for chemical reactions. Unlike HEPA filters which are more effective at filtering out the tiniest of particulates, activated carbon filters actually help change chemicals and gases from a gaseous phase to a solid phase, and they have had a long history of commercial use in conjunction with other filtration technologies.

One air purifier manufacturer who utilizes activated carbon in all of their models is AllerAir. All of their models, including the AllerAir AirTube, use large, deeper bed carbon filters that adsorb more airborne pollutants than competing brands. Their air purifiers also combine activated carbon with HEPA filters to offer the most comprehensive air purification available to treat airborne particles, gases, chemicals, and odors. As such, AllerAir air purifiers are especially suited for allergy sufferers, asthma prevention, Multiple Chemical Sensitivity (MCS), tobacco smoke, pet odors, and general home or office air purification.