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TheTRUTHAboutAmerica'sWater

DoYouNeedSoftenedWaterforYourHome?

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SeeAlso

DifferentWaterFiltrationMethodsExplained
(Continued)

WaterPurificationvsBasic
Filtration

1|2|3
CarbonAdsorption
Carbonabsorptionisawidelyusedmethodofhomewaterfiltertreatmentbecauseofits
abilitytoimprovewaterbyremovingdisagreeabletastesandodors,including
objectionablechlorine.Activatedcarboneffectivelyremovesmanychemicalsandgases,
andinsomecasesitcanbeeffectiveagainstmicroorganisms.However,generallyitwill

TruthAboutCountertop
WaterFilters
TruthAboutWaterQuality
intheUSA
Top20HarmfulWater
Contaminants

notaffecttotaldissolvedsolids,hardness,orheavymetals.Onlyafewcarbonfilter

ReverseOsmosisFiltration

systemshavebeencertifiedfortheremovaloflead,asbestos,cysts,andcoliform.There

Technology

aretwotypesofcarbonfiltersystems,eachwithadvantagesanddisadvantages:granular
activatedcarbon,andsolidblockcarbon.Thesetwomethodscanalsoworkalongwitha

reverseosmosissystem,whichcanbereadaboutbelow.
Activatedcarboniscreatedfromavarietyofcarbonbasedmaterialsinahightemperatureprocessthatcreatesamatrixof
millionsofmicroscopicporesandcrevices.Onepoundofactivatedcarbonprovidesanywherefrom60to150acresofsurfacearea.
Theporestrapmicroscopicparticlesandlargeorganicmolecules,whiletheactivatedsurfaceareasclingto,oradsorb,smallorganic
molecules.
Theabilityofanactivatedcarbonfiltertoremovecertainmicroorganismsandcertainorganicchemicals,especiallypesticides,
THMs(thechlorinebyproduct),trichloroethylene(TCE),andPCBs,dependsuponseveralfactors,suchasthetypeofcarbonand
theamountused,thedesignofthefilterandtherateofwaterflow,howlongthefilterhasbeeninuse,andthetypesof
impuritiesthefilterhaspreviouslyremoved.
Thecarbonadsorptionprocessiscontrolledbythe
diameteroftheporesinthecarbonfilterandbythe
diffusionrateoforganicmoleculesthroughthepores.
Therateofadsorptionisafunctionofthemolecular
weightandthemolecularsizeoftheorganics.Certain

granularcarbonseffectivelyremovechloramines.
Carbonalsoremovesfreechlorineandprotectsother
purificationmediainthesystemthatmaybesensitive
toanoxidantsuchaschlorine.
Carbonisusuallyusedincombinationwithother
treatmentprocesses.Theplacementofcarbonin
relationtoothercomponentsisanimportantconsiderationinthedesignofawaterpurificationsystem.
AtAPEC,westriveto
providethebestdrinking

Table3.CarbonAdsorption

wateravailabletoeveryone.

Advantages

Evenifitmeansofferinga
freesystemtothosein

Removesdissolvedorganicsand
chlorineeffectively.
Longlife(highcapacity).

need.
Clickheretolearnmore

aboutourFreeDrinking
WaterDonationProgram.

Disadvantages
Cangeneratecarbonfines.

MicroporousBasicFiltration
Therearethreetypesofmicroporousfiltration:depth,screenandsurface.Depthfiltersaremattedfibersormaterialscompressed

toformamatrixthatretainsparticlesbyrandomadsorptionorentrapment.Screenfiltersareinherentlyuniformstructures
which,likeasieve,retainallparticleslargerthanthepreciselycontrolledporesizeontheirsurface.Surfacefiltersaremadefrom
multiplelayersofmedia.Whenfluidpassesthroughthefilter,particleslargerthanthespaceswithinthefiltermatrixareretained,
accumulatingprimarilyonthesurfaceofthefilter.
Thedistinctionbetweenfiltersisimportantbecausethethreeserveverydifferentfunctions.Depthfiltersareusuallyusedas
prefiltersbecausetheyareaneconomicalwaytoremove98%ofsuspendedsolidsandprotectelementsdownstreamfromfouling
orclogging.
Ultrafiltersareavailableinseveralselectiveranges.Inallcases,themembraneswillretainmost,butnotnecessarilyall,molecules
abovetheirratedsize

Table5.Ultrafiltration
Advantages
Effectivelyremovesmost
particles,pyrogens,
microorganisms,andcolloids
abovetheirratedsize.
Produceshighestqualitywaterfor
leastamountofenergy.
Regenerable.

Disadvantages
Willnotremovedissolved
inorganics.

1|2|3
Morerelatedtopics:
Top20HarmfulWaterContaminants
TruthAboutCountertopWaterFilters
ReverseOsmosisFiltrationTechnology
WaterPurificationvsBasicFiltration
TruthAboutWaterQualityintheUSA

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