3D Printing Adsorptive Media: Carbon Activation Analysis
Presented During: Poster Session 2 - Student
Tue, 6/2: 10:00 AM - 11:00 AM CDT
1698
1698
Ernest N. Morial New Orleans Convention Center
Description
Many workers are exposed to environments containing harmful gasses such as volatile organic compounds (VOCs), increasing their risk of harmful health effects including asthma, kidney damage, and some cancers [1]. To protect against VOCs, respirator cartridges containing adsorptive media, such as activated carbon (AC) in granular form, are often used. While the granular activated carbon has the necessary characteristics for VOC adsorption such as a high surface area and microporosity, because of friction the granules can degrade overtime lowering its performance. Developing activated carbon materials manufactured via stereolithographic (SLA) 3D printing could help improve upon the current granular activated carbons by mitigating internal friction through complex stationary structures. The present work sought to improve upon activated carbon manufacturing techniques through the development of precursor photo resins compatible with SLA 3D printing to produce materials with favorable adsorptive properties for VOC capture.
Co-Authors
E. Schultz, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama, USA
K. Lu, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama, USA
J. Oh, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama, USA
C. Lungu, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama, USA
K. Lu, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama, USA
J. Oh, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama, USA
C. Lungu, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama, USA
Acknowledgements & References
Acknowledgements
This study was supported by The Deep South Center for Occupational Health and Safety (Grant #5T42OH008436-20 from NIOSH). Its contents are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of NIOSH.
References
[1] EPA. (2024, August 13). Volatile organic compounds’ impact on indoor air quality. United States Environmental Protection Agency. https://www.epa.gov/indoor-air-quality-iaq/volatile-organic-compounds-impact-indoor-air-quality#Health_Effects
[2] Steldinger, H. (2020). 3D printing of activated carbon and exemplary application as adsorbent in the electric swing adsorption (dissertation).
[3] FormLabs. (2025). Guide to stereolithography (SLA) 3D printing. https://formlabs.com/blog/ultimate-guide-to-stereolithography-sla-3d-printing/?srsltid=AfmBOoqqYW-wiXRKprH9i5x3tK6njsZaVHvyCVguwxNKc500axALYmJq
This study was supported by The Deep South Center for Occupational Health and Safety (Grant #5T42OH008436-20 from NIOSH). Its contents are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of NIOSH.
References
[1] EPA. (2024, August 13). Volatile organic compounds’ impact on indoor air quality. United States Environmental Protection Agency. https://www.epa.gov/indoor-air-quality-iaq/volatile-organic-compounds-impact-indoor-air-quality#Health_Effects
[2] Steldinger, H. (2020). 3D printing of activated carbon and exemplary application as adsorbent in the electric swing adsorption (dissertation).
[3] FormLabs. (2025). Guide to stereolithography (SLA) 3D printing. https://formlabs.com/blog/ultimate-guide-to-stereolithography-sla-3d-printing/?srsltid=AfmBOoqqYW-wiXRKprH9i5x3tK6njsZaVHvyCVguwxNKc500axALYmJq
Keywords
Personal protective equipment
Respiratory protection