Water Filter Systems -
Activated Carbon Filters

Contaminant reduction inside Activated Carbon Filters actually takes place by two processes - physical removal of contaminants by blocking any particle that is too large to pass through the pores; and the adsorption process where particles of carbon have been treated to increase their surface area and increase their ability to absorb (which means to attach by attraction) a wide range of contaminants and organic compounds. Hereby a variety of dissolved water contaminants are attracted to and held on the surface of the carbon particles. The characteristics of the carbon material (surface area / chemistry / density and pore and particle size) influence the efficiency of adsorption.

Granular Activated Carbon (GAC) is a charcoal purification media which is treated with oxygen to open up millions of tiny pores between the carbon atoms. GAC adsorbs chemicals and impurities. The huge surface area of activated carbon gives it countless bonding sites. When chemicals pass next to the carbon surface, they attach to the surface and are trapped (Granular Activated Carbon is particularly good at trapping other carbon-based impurities, "organic" chemicals and chlorine).

The water treatment process is characterized through the flow of water through a granular bed of sand or another suitable media (e.g. several stages of carbon and multimedia filters). The media retains most solid matter and ensures the removal of all unwanted materials while permitting the water to pass. The first filtration stage will remove the most concentrated chemicals like chlorine and Trihalomethanes; subsequent stages will remove smaller and more evasive chemicals, like herbicides or pesticides.

Advantages of Granular Activated Carbon Filters:

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Effective removal of organic material (humus, algae, fungi) and highly concentrated chemicals (chlorine, trihalomethanes, fluoride) as well as microscopic contaminants like pesticides and herbicides.

• Granular Activated Carbon Filters don’t waste water; they do not require electricity.

• They reduce chlorine and particulate matter and improve the taste and odor of the water.

• Economical and easy maintenance; on a regular basis (depending on manufacturer’s recommendation and use of water) an inexpensive filter cartridge needs to be changed.

• Loose granules of carbon do not restrict the water flow, so they can be used in whole house or whole home filter systems, where maintaining a steady pressure and water flow rate is necessary.

•
Granulated Active Carbon Water Filters don’t remove trace minerals and other healthy minerals, like magnesium, calcium, and potassium from the water (as Reverse Osmosis Filters do).

Disadvantages of Granular Activated Carbon Filters:

• The ability of water to flow through the filter and "channel" around the carbon granules and avoid filtration can be a disadvantage. Yet high quality filter systems offer high density granular beds, where “channeling” becomes negligible.

• Depending on the manufacturer, some of the carbon granules can be fairly large (0.1mm to 1mm), which makes the effective pore size of the filter relatively large (20 - 30 microns or larger).

• Hot water should never be run through an activated carbon filter because hot water can release trapped contaminants into the water stream. When considering Activated Carbon Filters, the consumer should rather choose Point of Entry systems (using only cold water) instead of Point of Use Filter systems (water can get hot).

• Granular Activated Carbon filters can be saturated with contaminants, since these unwanted materials attach themselves to the filter media. Therefore changing the filter cartridges according to the manufacturer is important; otherwise the contaminants may be released into the water.

- KDF Filters
- Distillation
- Water Softeners (Deionizers)
- Point-of-Use (POU) vs. Point-of-Entry (POE)
- SimplyPure™ Whole Home Water Filtration System

Water Filter Systems - Activated Carbon Filters

Water Filter Systems -
Activated Carbon Filters