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# Activated Carbon Adsorber

General Description

Monitoring Information

Costs

GENERAL DESCRIPTION

In adsorption, g aseous pollutants are removed from an air stream by transferri pollutants to the solid surfa ce of an adsorbent. Activa ted carbon is the most co m used adsorbent, althou g h zeolites, polymers, and other adsorbents may be us e is a limit to the mass of pollutants that can be collected by an adsorbent. Whe n limit is reached, the adsorbent is no lon g er effective in removin g pollutant. To r the ability to capture g aseous pollutants, adsorb ents typically are "re g enerated the pollutant is desorbed (remov ed) from the adsorbent. This re g eneration ma y off-site or on-site. (A special case of on-site re g eneration occurs when the ads o used to concentrate pollutants for on-sit e thermal or catalytic oxidation. These concentrators are discussed separately and can be accessed by clickin g on the provided below.)

The most common types of adsorber sy stems use fixed beds (as opposed to fl u beds, or the movin g beds that are common in concentrator systems). One typ e regenerates on site; the second type, called a carbon drum, uses off-site re g e n Carbon drum systems are low-capital-cost systems, used only when air flow ra t mass flow rates of pollutan ts are low. Regene ration, either on-site or off-site, t y uses either elevated temp eratures (i.e., thermal desorption, sometimes usin g s below-atmospheric pressures (vacuum re g eneration). In some cases the solve n recovered from desorption (e. g ., toluene from publication roto g ravure printin g operations) is re-introduced into the process; in other cases, it is disposed.

Several types of capacity ar e important to adsorbers. Saturation capacity is th e maximum capacity the adsorbent can hold. However, before saturation capacit y reached, the adsorbent reaches its breakthrou g h capacity, which is the amoun t pollutant that can be adsorbed before a si g nificant pollutant concentration exit s breaks throu g h, the bed. Heel capacity is the amount of pollutant that remains bed after it has been regenerated. Work ing capacity is the difference between

breakthrou g h capacity and heel capacity, and represents the amount of materi a 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 g eneratin g or g anic compoun d CHIEF Home

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9/27/2013 htt p ://cf p ub.e p a. g ov/oarweb/mkb/contechni q ue.cfm?ControlID=3havin g a molecular wei g ht of more than 50 and less than approximately 200. L

molecular wei g ht or g anics usually do not adsorb sufficiently. Hi g h molecular w e compounds adsorb so stron g ly that it is difficult to remove these materials fro m adsorbent durin g the desorption cycle. These molecular wei g hts are provided a s
g uideline, 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 adsorb e VOC concentration; re g eneration parameters includin g re g eneration cycle timi n regeneration stream (steam or nitrogen) flow or the vacuum achieved during regeneration; and carbon bed activity sa mpling. Other indicators of adsorber performance include bed operatin g temperature, inlet g as temperature, g as flo w inlet VOC concentration, pressure differential, inlet g as moisture content, and l e check monitoring.

The Compliance Assurance Monitorin g (CAM) Technical Guidance Document (T G provides a source of information on monitorin g approaches for different types o devices. Specific information provided in the CAM TGD related to carbon adsor p 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

- Choosin g 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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COSTS

Costs of carbon adsorption are discussed in the EPA Air Pollution Control Cost M Section 3.1, Chapter 1 - Carbon Adsorber s. Costs of monitoring systems, both Continuous Emission Monitors and parametric monitorin g systems, are address EPA Air Pollution Control Cost Manual, Section 2, Chapter 4 - Monitors.

Be sure to check the EPA Clean Air Technolo g y Center website periodically for u
at www.epa.gov/ttn/catc/products.html

. Monitorin g 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

Calculatin g 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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