That looks like an AC accumulator - it goes after the evaporator, and catches any still-liquid refrigerant before it goes into the compressor, to prevent damage from the compressor trying to compress an incompressible liquid. See if you can trace where the ends go - if they are GNDN then you can remove it.
Thanks for the input, everyone, and for the link to that other thread. Looking at replacement parts online for carbon/vent canisters, I agree. Glad I checked here.