Impregnated Activated Carbon

Material · Made to Spec

Impregnated activated carbon, matched to the molecule.

Plain activated carbon holds molecules physically, in pores. That works well for solvents and mercaptans and comparatively poorly for small, polar, reactive gases. Impregnation adds a chemical that reacts with the target instead of merely holding it.

Two grades: phosphoric acid for alkaline gases, sodium carbonate for acid gases · impregnation load 5–10 wt% · coal or coconut-shell base. Samples are free; shipping is not included.

The two grades we make

Phosphoric acid (H₃PO₄)

An acidic impregnant, so it targets basic contaminants — ammonia and the amine family. These are exactly the molecules plain carbon struggles with, because they are small and polar.

Typical duty: ammonia, amines, general nitrogen-group odour.

Sodium carbonate (Na₂CO₃)

An alkaline impregnant, so it targets acidic contaminants — hydrogen sulphide, sulphur dioxide and acid gases generally.

Typical duty: H₂S, SO₂, acid gas streams.

Choosing between them

The rule is chemical, not commercial: an acid impregnant for a basic gas, an alkaline impregnant for an acidic one. Tell us the target molecule and the answer follows.

Mixed streams usually want a staged build rather than one grade.

Specifications

Property Value
Base carbon Coal-based or coconut-shell
Impregnants offered Phosphoric acid (H₃PO₄) · sodium carbonate (Na₂CO₃)
Impregnation load 5–10% by weight
Target — acid grade Ammonia, amines and other basic gases
Target — alkaline grade H₂S, SO₂ and other acid gases
Formats Granular, or carried on media we convert — sheet, pad, cartridge, die-cut part

We publish no removal efficiency, capacity or breakthrough figure for either grade. We have not measured them, and a number we cannot stand behind is worth less to you than material you can test.

Why that matters more than it sounds

Impregnated carbon performance is not a property of the material alone. It moves with concentration, humidity, temperature, contact time and bed depth — a figure measured on someone else’s rig at someone else’s inlet concentration tells you very little about your duty. Suppliers who quote one rarely say under what conditions.

What we can do instead is send you the grade to test in your own unit, and adjust the base carbon, the impregnation load and the format around what you measure.

Our range is these two

The wider industry also offers potassium hydroxide, sulphur, silver, potassium iodide and permanganate impregnations. We do not produce those, and would rather say so than take an enquiry we cannot fill. Silver in particular carries US EPA pesticide-registration obligations that a media supplier should not step into casually.

Where it is used

Gas-phase filtration

Molecular filtration

Acid gas adsorption

Odour control — wastewater

Industrial air scrubbing

Enclosed-space deodorising

Where the duty is ordinary VOC and solvent work, unimpregnated media is the better answer — see activated carbon filter media or ACF cloth and felt. Where ammonia is the target in water rather than air, zeolite media is usually specified instead.

Tell us the molecule

The target contaminant, its rough concentration, and the space you have. That is enough for us to propose a grade and send material to test.

Request a sample

Prefer to send a photo? Message us on WhatsApp — a picture of the part is usually enough to start.

ISO 9001 · ISO 14001 · REACH · RoHS · TDS and SDS on request. See certifications, factory, or how we laminate and die-cut media into a finished part.