Adsorption equipment removes contaminants from gases and liquids by means of chemical adsorption. Adsorption equipment consists of an air-cleaning device that allows a contaminated air stream to pass through layer of solid particles, and an adsorbent bed to absorb pollutant molecules. Several adsorbent materials are used commercially as adsorbing agents, such as activated carbon, silica gel, activated alumina, zeolites, and molecular sieves. Adsorption equipment is used for the control of organic compounds from exhaust stream that are relatively free of particulate matter. Adsorption equipment can also be used for liquid phase and vapor phase adsorber applications.

Examples of adsorption equipment include prefabricated drum adsorbers, carbon capacity modular steel adsorbers, and poly-glass liquid phase adsorbers. Vapor phase adsorption equipment includes gallon drum adsorber, carbon capacity modular steel adsorber, and capacity modular steel adsorber. Adsorption chromatography is a type of chromatography that separates solutes based on differences between the adsorption affinities of surface components and an active solid. This type of chromatography utilizes a mobile liquid or gaseous phase that is adsorbed onto the surface of a stationary solid phase. The equilibration between the mobile and stationary phase accounts for the separation of different solutes.

With adsorption equipment, an activated carbon filter can remove organic contaminants from water since organic substances are composed of two basic elements, carbon and hydrogen. Activated carbon filters can improve water that is contaminated due to organic chemicals, which cause bad taste, odor, and color, and can also remove chlorine. Activated alumina is a filter media used to remove a variety of contaminants including excessive fluoride, arsenic, and selenium. Wastewater usually contains relatively small amounts of contaminants, but they make a big difference in the usefulness of the water. Septic tank/soil contaminant absorption is a common system used for onsite wastewater treatment and disposal. Moisture absorption is the amount of water absorbed under specific conditions, usually expressed as a percentage of the dry weight of the material or the process by which the water is absorbed.