Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Carbon Filters

Of all of the elements found on Earth, carbon might be one of the most important. This substance’s unique ability to chemically bond not only with itself, but with several other molecular components, makes it one of the main building blocks of everything in the known universe. For millennia, people have burned it to heat their homes, used ultrapure variants as lubricant, or even worn it as a status symbol in the form of diamonds. For all of its applications, carbon filters, like the ones offered by CPS Filtration, might be the most important. Here are a few answers to common questions about this technology.

Where Are They Used?

Water is absolutely essential to sustain life, and it has to be clean enough for consumption. Carbon filtration is actually one of the oldest methods of water purification, and human beings have been using this method for centuries, and possibly even millennia. While there is some evidence of its use dating back to ancient Egyptians, this technique became wildly popular in the early 19th century as people began to appreciate the decrease in sediment, flavors and odors that it provided.

How Do They Work?

Before learning about how carbon filters purify water, it’s important to make a distinction between the two different types of systems: powdered block and granular activated. You might be able to figure out the difference between the two based on the name, but he former uses a large slab of the special activated charcoal while the latter uses a mass of smaller chunks. Both provide reduction in sediment and removal of chlorine taste and odor, but a larger carbon surface area makes the former much more effective.

Carbon’s unique bonding properties are at the core of how this filtration system works. As water passes over the activated charcoal, bonding sites all over this special type of material pull on impurities like chlorine and iodine, and they’re eventually extracted. As the liquid moves on, these substances are left stuck to the carbon though a process called adsorption. In this system, the longer a fluid stays in the filter, the cleaner it gets. Think of it as if you were driving a carpool of people home from work: the longer you drive, the more people get out of your vehicle until you eventually get home and it’s completely empty.

How Long Do They Last?

While there’s no set lifespan for this type of filter, the effectiveness will diminish over time. Eventually, the bonding sites in this type of activated carbon begin to fill up with different substances until they’re no longer able to remove impurities. Several different factors determine how long this will take, including how often you’re using it and the contaminant level of your water. When this happens, a solution is as simple as buying a new cartridge for your unit.

A Clearer Understanding

Now that you know a little bit more about how carbon filters work, you hopefully have a greater appreciation for the importance of this technology. Clean drinking water is essential for the survival of every living thing on this planet, and human beings have been using this purification method for centuries. Isn’t it about time you started enjoying cleaner, tastier and odor-free drinking in your home?

James Anderson has only one mission: to help inform people. When he first started writing, he was fascinated with his ability to help people understand things.