Patent ID: 7080505

Claim:
A method for cleansing the atmosphere by a vehicle powered by an internal combustion engine comprising the steps of: a) drawing a first stream of atmosphere into the engine compartment of a vehicle by means of a fan and/or the motion of the vehicle, said first atmosphere stream being at ambient engine cabin temperature; b) drawing a second stream of atmosphere either separately from said first stream or split from said first stream into said second stream by means of a fan and/or the motion of the vehicle; c) heating said second atmosphere stream by sensible heat from exhaust gases produced by said engine to temperatures in the range of approximately 150° to 300° C.; d) providing a heat wheel having channels extending therethrough from one side of said heat wheel to the opposite side of said heat wheel; said channels having as a coating thereon activated carbon of a micropore porosity, said carbon having a density of at least 0.5 g/in 3 and a mean particle size not greater than 25 microns; e) passing said first stream of atmosphere through channels occupying, at any given time, a first position dependent portion of said heat wheel to adsorb volatile organic compounds contained in said atmosphere; f) passing said second stream of heated atmosphere through channels occupying, at any given time, a second position dependent portion of said heat wheel to desorb volatile organic compounds contained in said channels; g) directing said second stream of heated atmosphere with volatile organic compounds desorbed from said wheel to the gaseous emission treating system of said vehicle; and, h) rotating said wheel so that before the channels in said first position dependent portion of said heat wheel become saturated with volatile organic compounds they are rotated into a position whereat die channels become channels fanning the second position dependent portion of said heat wheel while the desorbed channels formerly forming the second position dependent portion of said heat wheel are rotated into a position whereat the channels become part of the channels forming said first position dependent portion of said heat wheel.