Design of Low Cost, Highly Absorbent Activated Carbon Fiberts for Air/Water Purification

The two most critical resources for soldiers in the field are breathable air and potable water. U.S. troops face increasing risk of exposure to chemical and biological warfare threats as poorer nations turn to lower cost chemical and biological weapons for their arsenals. Despite the increased threat from these toxic agents, gas mask technology has remained virtually unchanged over the past several decades, leaving soldiers at risk to newly developed nerve and biological agents designed to defeat conventional granular activated carbon (GAC) gas mask technology. EKOS Materials Corp. proposes a novel activated carbon fiber (ACF) that will combine the low cost and durability of GAC with the good contact efficiency, high surface area potential and simple in situ regeneration capability of commercially available ACFs. Water treatment testing by an industrial partner and gas mask testing by the U.S. Army is planned in Phase I to demonstrate the benefit of this unique materials. Given the low cost constituents and the relatively simple processing, the potential exists for producing a new adsorbent material which is cost competitive with GAS ($1-$ 2/lb.) and much more effective due to the ability to tailor the pore size and pore surface chemistry.