Experimental study on the filtration efficiency of activated carbons for 3–30 nm particles

The particle filtration efficiency of activated carbons (ACs), which are widely used to remove gaseous contaminants by adsorption, was investigated experimentally with different kinds of nanoparticles from 3 to 30nm. While the chemical composition of nanoparticles did not change the filtration efficiency, the face velocity did significantly. The single sphere efficiency according to the size of nanoparticles was a function of Peclet number (Pe), and the power-law exponent of Pe was about −0.5. This value was between those of packed-beds (−2/3) and nanofibers (−0.43), which might be caused by the deposition of nanoparticles into pores of the ACs through diffusion.