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Activated Carbon Adsorber 

General Description

Monitoring Information

Costs

GENERAL DESCRIPTION

In adsorption, gaseous pollutants are removed from an air stream by transferri

pollutants to the solid surface of an adsorbent. Activated carbon is the most com

used adsorbent, although zeolites, polymers, and other adsorbents may be use

is a limit to the mass of pollutants that can be collected by an adsorbent. When

limit is reached, the adsorbent is no longer effective in removing pollutant. To r

the ability to capture gaseous pollutants, adsorbents typically are "regenerated

the pollutant is desorbed (removed) from the adsorbent. This regeneration may

off-site or on-site. (A special case of on-site regeneration occurs when the adso

used to concentrate pollutants for on-site thermal or catalytic oxidation. These 

concentrators are discussed separately and can be accessed by clicking on the 

provided below.) 

The most common types of adsorber systems use fixed beds (as opposed to flu

beds, or the moving beds that are common in concentrator systems). One type

regenerates on site; the second type, called a carbon drum, uses off-site regen

Carbon drum systems are low-capital-cost systems, used only when air flow rat

mass flow rates of pollutants are low. Regeneration, either on-site or off-site, ty

uses either elevated temperatures (i.e., thermal desorption, sometimes using s

below-atmospheric pressures (vacuum regeneration). In some cases the solven

recovered from desorption (e.g., toluene from publication rotogravure printing

operations) is re-introduced into the process; in other cases, it is disposed. 

Several types of capacity are important to adsorbers. Saturation capacity is the

maximum capacity the adsorbent can hold. However, before saturation capacity

reached, the adsorbent reaches its breakthrough capacity, which is the amount

pollutant that can be adsorbed before a significant pollutant concentration exits

breaks through, the bed. Heel capacity is the amount of pollutant that remains

bed after it has been regenerated. Working capacity is the difference between 

breakthrough capacity and heel capacity, and represents the amount of materia

can be adsorbed in each working cycle. A typical working capacity is 10-20 pou

contaminant per 100 pounds of carbon. 

Adsorption systems are usually limited to sources generating organic compound

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having a molecular weight of more than 50 and less than approximately 200. L

molecular weight organics usually do not adsorb sufficiently. High molecular we

compounds adsorb so strongly that it is difficult to remove these materials from

adsorbent during the desorption cycle. These molecular weights are provided as

guideline, and the suitability of an adsorption system should be considered on a

by-case basis. 

MONITORING INFORMATION

General Information 

The primary indicators of the performance of carbon adsorbers are the adsorbe

VOC concentration; regeneration parameters including regeneration cycle timin

regeneration stream (steam or nitrogen) flow or the vacuum achieved during 

regeneration; and carbon bed activity sampling. Other indicators of adsorber 

performance include bed operating temperature, inlet gas temperature, gas flow

inlet VOC concentration, pressure differential, inlet gas moisture content, and le

check monitoring. 

The Compliance Assurance Monitoring (CAM) Technical Guidance Document (TG

provides a source of information on monitoring approaches for different types o

devices. Specific information provided in the CAM TGD related to carbon adsorp

include example CAM submittals based on case studies of actual facilities. Click

links below for Appendix A: Example CAM Submittals for Carbon Adsorbers. 

 

Schematic of Regenerative Carbon 

Adsorber (1 p, 21K) 

 Training Video (10284K) 

 

EPA Air Pollution Control Cost Manual, 

Section 3.1, Chapter 1 - Carbon 

Adsorbers

(48 pp, 

139K) 

 

EPA Technical Bulletin - Choosing an 

Adsorption System for VOC: Carbon, 

Zeolite, or Polymers?

(32 pp, 

263K) 

 Training Tool (5417K) 

 

Schematic of Regenerative Carbon 

Adsorber - Primary Indicators of 

Performance (1 p, 26 K) 

 CAM Rule 

 Appendix A: Example CAM Submittals 

for Carbon Adsorbers

(25 pp, 

387K) 

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Industry Specific Information 

To search for additional monitoring information specific to an industry, click on

monitoring information by industry type section link provided below. 

COSTS

Costs of carbon adsorption are discussed in the EPA Air Pollution Control Cost M

Section 3.1, Chapter 1 - Carbon Adsorbers. Costs of monitoring systems, both 

Continuous Emission Monitors and parametric monitoring systems, are address

EPA Air Pollution Control Cost Manual, Section 2, Chapter 4 - Monitors. 

Be sure to check the EPA Clean Air Technology Center website periodically for u

at www.epa.gov/ttn/catc/products.html. 

 

 

Monitoring Information by Industry Type

Section 

 

EPA Air Pollution Control Cost Manual, 

Section 3.1, Chapter 1 - Carbon 

Adsorbers

(48 pp, 

139K) 

 

EPA Control Cost Spreadsheet for 

Calculating Carbon Adsorber Capital and 

Annual Costs (Second Edition) (17K) 

 

EPA Background Document for Control 

Cost Spreadsheets (16 pp, 

54K) 

 

EPA Air Pollution Control Cost Manual, 

Section 2, Chapter 4 - Monitors (42 pp, 

542K) 

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