Mike's Home Page I am a research assistant and PhD candidate in the Mechanical Engineering Department at the University of Minnesota . I am working with my advisor, Jane Davidson , to characterize the adsorption of low concentration gaseous mixtures on activated carbon. The motivation for pursuing this research is to improve methods of designing and evaluating adsorption filters used to remove undesirable gases and vapors from homes, offices, and other enclosed spaces like cars and airplanes. Adsorption is the process by which gases and vapors become trapped in the microscopic pores of an adsorbent.
Activated carbon is a common adsorbent.
The many small pores within each granule give adsorbents a tremendous amount of internal surface area. One gram of activated carbon can have a surface area equivalent to that of a football field. Figure 1 - Scanning electron microscope photo of carbon granules. Copyright 1998-1999 by the Regents of the University of Minnesota , Twin Cities. All rights reserved.