$30 DIY Carbon Filter (Design by Ryoko)

[weediscool]

i tried this design and it doesnt work at all.

after this next harvest i will be trying one based on the activated carbon

 

[coconaut]

The flaw is not in the design.
Activated carbon was always a requirement.

 

[rrog]

Great thread. Some things that would improve are:

#1 The unit needs more carbon. The air traveling through needs to interact with a lot more carbon particles. This means an actual layer of carbon granules, not a carbon-impregnated foam.

#2 The unit would be greatly improved if the correct carbon were used. This means Coconut Carbon, (not coal or wood).

#3 Also greatly improving this would be to use the right size carbon. The size used for air filtration NOT the tiny stuff used to filter water.

 

[*mistress*]

the carbon cloths work well. there are many grades & thicknesses. easier to manage than the carbon pellets.

have used these:
activated aluminas with potassium permanganate and activated carbon
Spherical pellets: 1.5-6.4 mm in diameter
color: Purple and black
Bulk density: 0.64
g/cc (40 lb/[ft.sup.3])
Target: Amine odors, auto exhaust, smoking, cooking odors

& the carbon cloths. the cloths are far more user friendly & manageable. they can also be layered several times, made longer (more surface area) & many can be made relatively easily.

this may be helpful:
VOC removal performance of pellet/granular-type sorbent media experimental results
http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m5PRC/is_2_112/ai_n24998215/pg_10/

results on page 10. they compare many different voc removing medias.

the combination of cloth & pellets, works very well. essential oils/ona soaked in basin/bucket of soil moist granules, & kept saturated & inline w/ exhaust only helps more...

*edit*
if do diy carbon filter/scrubber w/ pellets/granules, would leave just enough space so that the filters can be agitated/shaken vigorously weekly... seems it helps when the granules are shaken periodically.
enjoy your garden!

 

[rrog]

the carbon cloths work well. there are many grades & thicknesses. easier to manage than the carbon pellets.

...the cloths are far more user friendly & manageable. they can also be layered several times, made longer (more surface area) & many can be made relatively easily.

There's really no way around this. Coconut Carbon pellets in the vapor adsorption range of 4x8 will significantly out perform everything else. If there's a doubt, contact a competent carbon source that sells many different items.

 

[*mistress*]

There's really no way around this. Coconut Carbon pellets in the vapor adsorption range of 4x8 will significantly out perform everything else. If there's a doubt, contact a competent carbon source that sells many different items.

the purple potassium pellets are used extensively by hvac industry... acquired from industry source, after much research & narrowing down to these. less off-gassing. acquired cloth from same source... both are effective. relying on 1 machine/1 filter to scrub an area has not been effective. cloths are used in ac grill/condenser side exhaust. & behind every fan/air channel in garden. can be configured many different manners. pellets simply not that versatile; whether coconut or other materials.

a bucket of ona/essential oils soaked in soil moist, w/ an air hose attached, so that surface is bulling inline w/ exhaust, will decrease odors more than expected. if not entirely for a garden small to medium in size...

would not rely on 1 scrubber for odor control. @ least 3 per garden has seemed to work. 2 inside of garden, 1-2 outside of garden.

enjoy your garden!

 

[rrog]

There's really no way around this. Coconut Carbon pellets in the vapor adsorption range of 4x8 will significantly out perform everything else. If there's a doubt, contact a competent carbon source that sells many different items.

The problem is hundreds of people read these threads and don't necessarily ask questions. If someone wants to use Kingsford Charcoal in their room, fine. But these threads should summarize reasonable solutions with reasonable materials.

 

[*mistress*]

whatever methods/materials used, only 1 way to test efficacy... leave garden, return in 1 hour & inhale... if smell odors, add another odor reducing/adsorbing/masking method.

doesnt really mater what materials are used, just as long as odor doesnt come thru... not like nutes, where input materials affect final fruit; just want to eliminate garden odors... while coconut carbon may be effective, is not only way to combat odors... the potassium coated carbon pellets were made specifically for voc reduction.

this may also be helpful:
alternative odor enhancement/control
https://www.icmag.com/ic/showthread.php?t=123854

enjoy your garden!

 

[rrog]

Certainly not all odors are VOCs

"whatever methods/materials used, only 1 way to test efficacy... leave garden, return in 1 hour & inhale... if smell odors, add another odor reducing/adsorbing/masking method."

Not a lot of us have time to experiment. I'd rather know what works best and start from that point.

 

[*mistress*]

Certainly not all odors are VOCs

all odors are not voc's (volatile organic compounds)... the compound does not have to be 'organic'. bleach is a chem that comes to reference. the compounds can be chemical in nature... the point is they are volatile compounds that require interdiction... the potassium coated pellets are specifically mfg for that purpose.

Not a lot of us have time to experiment. I'd rather know what works best and start from that point.

already did experiments... lots... soil moist method is not new; has been used lots before. in particular in 5 gal bucket w/ fan attached to top...

soil moist is not mfg for odor control, but the granules hold lots of water, or essential oils when mixed w/ emulsifier, & effectively combat odors... you notice difference immediately. placed anywhere in air channels will decrease garden odors that humans recognize as such...

if dont think it will work, avoid...

what is supposed to work, doesnt always... there are a few threads in this forum about store-bought carbon filters that were worthless...

To establish the odor concentration, an olfactometer is used which employs a panel of test persons.
This is a verbal characterization of the sensed odor by the test person, such as disgusting, caustic, ruffling, etc. There are no more applications needed than a test person to run this method.

really no other way to test viability of any method selected. even if get brand new carbon filter from 'hydro shop', if it doesnt eliminate odors, doesnt matter how many ads they placed in mags, gardeners wont buy anymore.

have to do field tests of any product to find limits. your research led to coconut carbon. *mistress*'s research led to purple pellets & several other methods combined.

either/or work & either/or should be tested by real live humans. dont care what companies say, what matters is it works to cover/trap odors.

did lots research before hand... lots... & found potassium coated pellets to be most used/most effective in industry.

Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are organic chemical compounds that have high enough vapor pressures under normal conditions to significantly vaporize and enter the atmosphere.
Volatile organic compounds are numerous and varied. Although ubiquitous in nature and modern industrial society, they may also be harmful or toxic. VOCs, or subsets of the VOCs, are often regulated.

An odor is caused by one or more volatilized chemical compounds, generally at a very low concentration, that humans or other animals perceive by the sense of olfaction.

enjoy your garden!

 

[rrog]

I like the fact that NASA uses activated carbon from coconut. I figure they have access to anything manufactured anywhere by anyone.

When Dr. Sholls wanted the thinnest possible layer of odor adsorption, his research led to what NASA already knew.

Side question, since I've not looked into the purple pellets, is this readily available cost reasonable?

Anyway, the point for the casual reader was that the carbon mesh is lacking. Pellets are much more effective.

 

[*mistress*]

I like the fact that NASA uses activated carbon from coconut. I figure they have access to anything manufactured anywhere by anyone.

When Dr. Sholls wanted the thinnest possible layer of odor adsorption, his research led to what NASA already knew.

Side question, since I've not looked into the purple pellets, is this readily available cost reasonable?

Anyway, the point for the casual reader was that the carbon mesh is lacking. Pellets are much more effective.

why would nasa need to scrub air? they use the biomass production unit to grow in. fully cea... they also use osmocote to feed their plants. not many on these boards would select osmocote over other ferts.

dr. sholls?

I've not looked into the purple pellets

they are out there...
look into hvac & cleanroom specs & indoor air quality specs... will find much data & co's that specialize in this. usually available in large amounts. 50# smallest amount any industry would request... can be used for exhaust for restaurants, scrubbing air of medical facility, strict indoor air quality standards, etc, etc...

carbon cloth is effective. again, there are different grades of carbon cloth, like everything... the cheapo honeywell replacement cloths are only ~10-20 coins per 2 sheet box. can almost see thru them. good idea to wrap both that come in box, w/ velcro. there are thicker grades out there... 1/4-1/2" thick w/ greater mesh count. they are very effective.

enjoy your garden!

 

[rrog]

I don't agree with you on the effectiveness of the carbon foam. The foam is primarily foam with some carbon glued to it. I never said it was ineffective. I said it paled in comparison to the proper sized coconut carbon.

As far as NASA goes, feel free to Google the topic. Coconut carbon has been scrubbing air in space missions since Mercury and are in current use in the International Space Station. NASA also has a patent on a processing of the Coconut Carbon.

Enough of this. This dialog is beyond what I'm sure anyone wants to read. I'll remove myself from the topic now.

 

[*mistress*]

I don't agree with you on the effectiveness of the carbon foam. The foam is primarily foam with some carbon glued to it. I never said it was ineffective. I said it paled in comparison to the proper sized coconut carbon.

As far as NASA goes, feel free to Google the topic. Coconut carbon has been scrubbing air in space missions since Mercury and are in current use in the International Space Station. NASA also has a patent on a processing of the Coconut Carbon.

Enough of this. This dialog is beyond what I'm sure anyone wants to read. I'll remove myself from the topic now.

dont want to ...

but did not mention carbon 'foam'... it is carbon cloth... meshed carbon fibers. they come in different spec'd grades. honeywell replacement pre-filters being the easiest to acquire & not that densely meshed.

there are both thicker (as in actual width of 100% carbon cloth material) & more densely meshed, i.e.g., greater # of fibers per m^2...

enjoy your garden!

 

[Researcher]

dont want to ...

but did not mention carbon 'foam'... it is carbon cloth... meshed carbon fibers. they come in different spec'd grades. honeywell replacement pre-filters being the easiest to acquire & not that densely meshed.

there are both thicker (as in actual width of 100% carbon cloth material) & more densely meshed, i.e.g., greater # of fibers per m^2...

enjoy your garden!

Mistress,

Are you talking a similar carbon cloth like what is used in Odorsoks? But much higher grade I presume. Since the odorsok I'm using isn't doing a very good job.

 

[*mistress*]

check hvac industry. or iaq (indoor air quality) standards/products.
also, look into cleanroom specs for carbon cloth filtration.
there is 1/4"-1" carbon cloth. dense mesh.
the honeywell-replacement type is nearly see thru.
the 1/4" cloth is not see thru; very thick, very effective.

have not tried odor sock.

should come in big 2x4 sheets. @ least... not the little honeywell type... they are out there...

enjoy your garden!