If you want your water to be safe, you should filter it further. Water filters can usually remove most contaminants from water, thus improving the taste of drinking water. Carbon water filters can help you get better-tasting drinking water. In this article, you will learn what contaminants carbon water filters can remove from water and other related issues.
What is a Carbon Filter?
A carbon filter usually refers to an activated carbon filter, which differs from the traditional water filter. It uses activated carbon to adsorb and remove impurities in water. The working principle is that it has a large number of tiny pores that can adsorb and capture impurities. A layer of balanced surface concentration is formed on the surface of its particles. The size of activated carbon particles also affects the adsorption capacity. Generally speaking, the smaller the activated carbon particles, the larger the filtration area. Therefore, a carbon filter can be used to purify water, and it plays an important role in water purification.
The types of carbon filters are mainly divided into water filters, air filters, and industrial filters. They are widely used in household, industrial, and commercial environments.
Are all carbon filters the same?
Not all carbon filters are created equal. There are two common types: granular activated carbon and block activated carbon. Granular activated carbon consists mainly of larger activated carbon particles, which have a higher adsorption capacity. Block-activated carbon, on the other hand, is activated carbon powder compressed into a dense block, which provides a higher surface area and more effective adsorption. Activated carbon filters have many benefits.
What are the benefits of a carbon water filter?
A carbon water filter is also an effective way to purify water, mainly through adsorption. The specific benefits of carbon water filters are mainly reflected in the following aspects:
- Remove impurities and pollutants
- Improve the taste of water
- Retain minerals
- Reduce organic pollutants
- Easy to use and maintain
What does a carbon filter get rid of?
Chlorine
Most of the water disinfectants in the US water supply system are chlorine. Chlorine can effectively kill bacteria and viruses in water, and it can prevent microorganisms from harming human health through drinking water. Although chlorine has a very strong disinfection ability, according to the US EPA, the chlorine content of municipal drinking water shall not exceed 4 ppm. Excessive chlorine content may cause disease. Carbon filters can be used to remove chlorine and odor.
Related: How to Remove Chlorine From Tap Water?
Chlorine byproducts
Chlorine byproducts are a very important removal target for carbon water filters. Chlorine will react with organic matter in the water to produce chlorine byproducts, such as THMs and HAAs. These chlorine byproducts are harmful to human health. Therefore, you need to use a carbon filter to remove most of the chlorine byproducts in the water through adsorption to ensure the safety of drinking water.
Volatile organic compounds
Carbon water filters can effectively remove most volatile organic compounds (VOCs), common VOCs include benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, chloroform, acetone, vodka, etc. However, some are toxic and carcinogenic, which are harmful to human health. These VOCs are volatile and can be easily adsorbed by the micropores in activated carbon.
Pesticides and herbicides
Pesticides are generally used to kill and remove substances that are harmful to plants, including herbicides and antifungal agents. However, pesticides and herbicides can easily enter the groundwater layer and may pollute groundwater resources in the long term. Carbon filters can effectively remove pesticides and herbicides. Therefore, if you find that there is a large amount of agricultural land around the drinking water you get, you need to pay attention to filtering the drinking water before drinking it.
Odor
Tap water has a strong bleaching and earthy smell because it contains a lot of organic matter and a lot of chlorine disinfectants are added during the treatment process of the water plant. This will seriously affect the taste of drinking water. If you want better-tasting drinking water, you can use a carbon filter to remove the odor in the water, thereby improving the taste of the water.
Sediment and particles
Due to the aging and corrosion of water pipes, reservoirs, water pipes, and faucet switches, a large amount of sediment and particles will be generated. The easiest way to deal with this phenomenon is to let it settle and boil before drinking. The carbon filter can filter sand, rust, mud, etc. in the water, making the water clearer.
What do carbon water filters not remove?
Minerals
Common minerals in water are calcium and magnesium. Minerals are healthy components of drinking water, and activated carbon cannot remove these minerals. Although the human body does not rely entirely on drinking water for mineral supplementation, it usually takes in minerals through diet. If you need to remove minerals from water, you need to use a reverse osmosis water filtration system.
Heavy metals
Common heavy metals include lead, mercury, cadmium, and chromium. The main reason for heavy metals in water is the pipeline transportation of tap water. When these heavy metals accumulate to a certain extent in the human body, they will cause chronic poisoning, etc. Activated carbon has limited adsorption capacity for these substances, and other filtration methods such as reverse osmosis or ion exchange are needed.
To achieve a more comprehensive water purification effect, it is usually necessary to combine multiple filtration technologies, such as reverse osmosis filtration, ultraviolet disinfection, and ion exchange. There is a water filtration system on the market that combines multiple filtration technologies. ITEHIL portable reverse osmosis filter system, which uses PP cotton + activated carbon and RO membrane multiple filtration, can filter 99.99% of pollutants in water, including bacteria, viruses, parasites, heavy metals, pesticides, polyvinyl chloride, PFAS, etc. This high-quality water purification system has also been recognized by many users and is certified by NSF/ANSI 58, FDA, CE, EMC, PSE, FCC, and RoHS.
Will a carbon filter remove salt from water?
No, because salt is an ionic compound dissolved in water, and carbon filters can only remove chlorine, odors, and some volatile organic compounds from water through its adsorption effect. If you need to remove salt from water, it is recommended to use methods such as reverse osmosis, distillation, and ion exchange. Reverse osmosis can remove dissolved salts from water through a semi-permeable membrane. Distillation can remove salt from water by heating water and collecting steam. Ion exchange is the exchange of ions in water through a resin bed, removing sodium, calcium, and other minerals.
Nitrates are salts. Methods for removing nitrates include: How to remove nitrates from water?
Which is better, reverse osmosis or carbon filter?
Reverse osmosis and carbon filters each have their advantages and applicable scenarios. Reverse osmosis can efficiently remove all pollutants in the water. It uses multi-stage filtration such as PPF filter element, UDF filter element, CTO filter element, RO membrane, etc., and removes a large number of dissolved substances and pollutants at the same time, and the taste and odor of the water are significantly improved.
Carbon filters can effectively remove volatile organic compounds (VOCs), chlorine, and odor in water, but they cannot remove some pollutants, such as heavy metals and fluoride. Carbon filtration can retain minerals in water and improve the taste of water.
You can choose which water filtration system according to your water quality and needs. You can consider combining RO membrane and activated carbon filtration technology, such as ITEHIL portable reverse osmosis water filter.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does a carbon filter remove fluoride?
Since fluoride is a small ionic compound dissolved in water and exists in water in the form of ions, activated carbon does not have the specific adsorption capacity for this ion.
Related: How to efficiently remove fluoride from water?
Does a carbon filter remove E.coli?
No. E. coli is a bacteria and activated carbon filters cannot remove pathogens such as E. coli. If you need to remove E. coli, you can use ultraviolet (UV) disinfection, microfiltration, ultrafiltration, or chemical disinfection.
Does a carbon filter help with hard water?
No, the main components of hard water are calcium and magnesium ions, and activated carbon filters cannot remove calcium and magnesium ions. How to filter hard water specifically? You can use reverse osmosis systems, ion exchange, and other methods to treat hard water.
How long do carbon filters last?
The service life depends on many factors, such as brand type, water quality, frequency of use, etc. Generally speaking, the service life of granular activated carbon filters is 3-6 months. The service life of block-activated carbon filters is 6-12 months. Composite filters are usually 6-12 months.
Do carbon filters remove microplastics?
The removal effect is limited because the diameter of microplastics is less than 5 mm. More sophisticated filtration methods are needed to remove them. For example, microfiltration, ultrafiltration, nanofiltration, and reverse osmosis can effectively remove microplastics.
