Industries are strictly required to adhere to the local pollution control norms and regulations related to the atmospheric emissions and ambient air quality to ensure that environmental conditions both outside and inside do not pose any health risks to people and animals alike. Activated carbon is the safest, most efficient and cost-effective technology for the removal of airborne chemicals, volatile organic compounds (VOCs), gaseous pollutants, and other fumes and odors in industrial, municipal or commercial applications. It is also a leading material of choice for the purification and storage of air in industrial settings, courtesy its tailorable internal pore structure.

Generally for air purification applications,

• Activated carbon is manufactured to have a high micropore volume for air cleanup, odor control, and adsorption of low boiling hydrocarbons. Whereas, activated carbon with high percentage of large micropore and small mesopore volumes is preferred for solvent recovery applications. And, activated carbon with a high percentage of large mesopores and macropores is preferred for recovery of high-boiling hydrocarbons.
• Either granular or cylindrical pelletized forms of activated carbon are used in packed bed or fluidized bed adsorption columns, and pressure swing or vacuum swing adsorption towers to prevent significant pressure drop which is usually associated with powder form. However, in certain applications such as treatment of flue gases, mercury and waste incineration gases, powder activated carbon is typically employed using dry sorbent injection system.