Is there a practical re-use value gained by grinding up activated carbon that is spent/saturated? I want to buy bulk activated carbon for use in a DIY air-filtration set-up, like this, to improve air quality in my bedroom.
From what I understand, the relatively larger sizes of carbon media on the market are optimal for air filtration to maximize the amount of time the air is in contact with the carbon.
My question is, once my activated large-granule carbon is used up, say after a few months in my air filter, am I throwing away any untapped potential? Specifically, is there value in further crushing/grinding the carbon and then putting it into another application optimized for the new, more fine-grained size-- perhaps a water filter, or an air filter where the carbon is in a long tube, and air is moving slowly through it.
The same FAQ suggests it is impractical and messy to grind up the AC, but it seems to me that mess can be contained with a bit of planning. I'm also happy to be pointed to general resources that are helpful, especially if I'm barking up the wrong intuition trees, here. Thanks!
Activated carbon is called &quot;activated&quot; when its grains contain a large amount of large cavities. These cavities are big enough to hold large molecules of undesired substances (oils, smokes) which are present in the air. Only small molecules like oxygen and nitrogen from the air can go through without being retained. So the activated carbon removes pollution from the air. After a long time, there are more and more cavities occupied by these unwanted substances. As a consequence, the effectiveness of the activated carbon slowly decreases. It has to be replaced. But it is no use grinding it. If one wants to reuse this carbon again, one should heat it up to such a high temperature that the substances fixed in the cavities are vaporized. Unfortunately some substances like soot will never get vaporized. So the effectivity of the activated carbon will never be entirely restored