The removal of toxic, corrosive, irritant, and odorous gases is a key strategy in improving air quality in any closed space. The technologies of granulated activated carbon or chemically impregnated dry media are commonly employed to address this issue. Both of these methods have their limitations in manufacturability, volume of space, and/or pressure drop associated with use in a given application.
A new air quality technology has been developed which integrates liquid based chemisorption gas treatment with a shaped fiber media carrier. The patented wicking fiber shape holds more than its own weight in active reagents within intra-fiber channels. While the liquid volume is captured and retained through capillary action, a large surface area of the chemisorptive liquid is presented to the air flow for reaction and neutralization of the target contaminant gases.
The wicking fibers may be implemented as fiber bundles, woven materials, or as non-wovens. As wovens or non-wovens the wicking fiber media can be constructed as conventional flat or pleated filter elements. The wicking fiber material can be used in conjunction with particulate removal media to create a filter which captures both solid and gaseous contaminants in one package.
Development testing to date using H2S, SO2, and acetaldehyde has proven the concept and demonstrated superior performance. For an equal application volume the wicking fiber technology has lower pressure drop and better retention efficiency than the activated carbon materials tested.