![]() In order to remove any traces of these chemicals and restore drinking water to a safe and healthy state, carbon filters are used which then improve taste and smell of water. In fact, a teaspoon of activated charcoal contains about the surface area of a football field because of its porosity. Activated carbon filters are sold as granular activated carbon (GAC), carbon blocks, and radial carbon filters.Ĭhlorine and ammonia are used to disinfect water at treatment plants in US and the byproduct of that process is chloramine. ![]() This makes activated charcoal much more porous than ordinary charcoal, vastly increasing its surface area. The elements and compounds then bound with the carbon atoms are removed and all the binding sites for carbon are “free” for binding with incoming molecules and atoms. What exactly is activated carbon, and how does it filter water?Īctivated charcoal is created when coconut charcoal is heated to a very high temperatures. Coconut shells are a renewable resource made of high-grade carbon and are ideal for filtration due to their high percentage of micro-pores on their surface, nearly 50% more than coal, making them the most promising option for removing a wide variety of contaminations. All modern carbon filters such as KX Matrikx Pb1 Carbon Block, KX Matrikx CTO Plus or KX Marikx CTO, are made of coconut based activated carbon. Is a charcoal filter and carbon filter the same?Ī carbon filter is also called a charcoal filter. If effectiveness, longevity and costs are of concern, choose to filter your residential water with a reverse osmosis water purifier that has at least 2 activated carbons with different micron sizes. ĭo Carbon filters require high or low water pressure to work best?Ĭarbon filters do not require high pressure to remove contaminants. While GAC, having a larger diameter, can de-chlorination ability below 2500 gallons. It has a chlorine reduction capacity above 2,500 gals. 0001 micron particles.Ī carbon block filter having a 1 µ diameter and 1 gpm flow rate can filter Lead, cyst, chlorine, taste, colour, odour, and VOC reduction. Typically there will be a sediment filter that is 1 or 5 microns, 1-2 carbon blocks and GAC that will be 1-10 micron, possibly a UV light (best for well water) and a RO membrane that removes. The use of different microns depends on what it is you'd like to remove and what other filters or membranes your system has. Typical residential carbon filters for drinking water come in 1, 5, 10 microns. ![]() The smaller the micron size, the finer the filtration. The diameter of the pores are measured in microns which then are labeled on individual filters. What's the difference between microns on carbon filters? You can tell when carbon filter is ready to be replaced because water volume will drop. This is called adsorption and it has a finite amount of space. As drinking water moves through a carbon filter, contaminants adhere to carbon. Chlorine, chloride, chloramine all get removed from activated carbons, whether granulated or block.įurthermore, activate carbon reduces bad tastes, odours, and other particles in drinking water because they are highly porous and have a large surface area. If the carbon is activated, activated catalytic (more reactive) carbon chemically alters the chlorine molecules, converting them into chloride (negatively charged ionic form of chlorine). Organic chemicals link or attach to the surface of the carbon filter by van der Waals forces allowing clean water to pass through a carbon filter.Īnother way a carbon filter works, especially on liquid gases such as Chlorine, is through a chemical reaction rather than adhesion of particles to carbon particles. ![]() As a carbon with a clean surface, it is oleophilic, which means "oil-loving" it has a strong attraction with organic compounds and other non-polar contaminants. Particles adhere to a surface through adsorption, just like Velcro. As a sponge absorbs water, carbon filters absorb pollutants. One way a carbon filter removes contaminants by adsorption. How do activated carbon blocks and GAC filters work? The removal of contaminants from water using carbon is still practised today and of course improved,, creating a better tasting and smelling food and beverage. What are the carbon filters?Īs with all water filters, carbon filters are designed to filter out or change a chemistry of specific contaminants from drinking water based on particle size or its ion charge.Īncient Egyptians discovered the detoxifying effects of carbon thousands of years ago. In this post we will focus on drinking water. Let's compare them.īoth GAC-Granular Activated Carbon and Carbon Block filters (which are sometimes also activated) are carbon type filters that remove particles from water. ![]() There are 2 main type of carbon filters on the market, GAC and Carbon Block. ![]()
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