NEWater Activated Carbon Water Filter

NEWater has been your ultimate partner in relation to water treatment system design and solutions. We have developed a strong relationship with our clients worldwide over the last two decades by manufacturing high-quality water filtration units, such as activated carbon water filters, that are customized to their specific requirements. Our activated carbon filter is constructed of a dense carbon block that effectively eliminates a wide variety of water contaminants and other chemicals, including lead, mercury, chlorine, THMs, pesticides, and herbicides. AC filters are best paired with other water filtration systems such as RO, UV water sterilizers, and ion exchange to pretreat feed water or post-treat filtered water to achieve 99% purity.

NEWater employs expert researchers and engineers to produce your activated carbon filter. It is made of natural materials and is ISO and CE certified, making it an environmentally-friendly choice. You can count on our powerful activated carbon filter to remove chemicals and organic compounds, including those that cause unpleasant tastes and odors.

For your cost-efficient and dependable water filters, contact NEWater at info.@newater.com immediately.

The Ultimate FAQ Guide for Activated Carbon Filters

Although three percent of the earth’s water is freshwater, only 0.5% is accessible to humankind. Approximately 2.5% of the earth’s freshwater is constrained in underground reserves, glaciers, and polar ice caps. Gradual population increase has significantly shrunk the volume of freshwater accessible to mankind consequently creating devastating freshwater insufficiency.

To overcome the deficit, people are presently exploiting water filtration technologies to convert polluted and/or saline water into fresh potable water. The underlying article seeks to elevate your knowledge of water filtration systems, particularly activated carbon filters.

➣What is an Activated Carbon Filter?

An activated carbon filter, also known as an activated charcoal filter is a water filtration unit that utilizes block or granular carbon to extract chemical pollutants and other impurities from water. These filters primarily rely on carbon, which acts as the principal filtration barrier. The deployed carbon is either in granular or block form and it is essentially treated to be permeable or porous. Typically, industrial water filters are uniquely designed to offer a higher surface area (over 500m2 per gram of activated carbon).

As such, they are able to adsorb more pollutants and allergens compared to traditional carbon sand filters. To be precise, activated carbon filters are known for proficiently eliminating chemical pollutants like chlorine, Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs), herbicides, and organic chemicals from water. In addition, they adsorb chemical pollutants like hydrogen sulfide, which is mainly responsible for unpleasant smelling or tasting water.

Similar to other water filtration systems, the impurity removal range of activated carbon filters is limited. As a result, activated carbon water filters are frequently employed in collaboration with other water filtration systems e.g. reverse osmosis systems. They can be utilized to pretreat feed water or post-treat filtered water. NEWater has a remarkable history of manufacturing top-notch AC filters, characterized by superior quality, impeccable output, reliability, and durability.

➣How Does Activated Carbon Water Filter Function?

Activated carbon filters primarily filter out objectionable constituents through a renowned process referred to as adsorption. Adsorption is a chemical reaction or adhesion process that sees impurities present in water seized by a porous carbon substrate. It is important to note the difference between adsorption and absorption. Absorption occurs when a fluid dissolves in another fluid or solid known as an absorbent.

For activated carbon block water filters to expel undesirable impurities from raw water, the water is fed into the vessel housing the activated carbon bed. Due to gravity, the water begins to trickle down the activated carbon, where the porous blocks or granules of carbon adsorb the impurities. Adsorption is a chemical reaction that sees molecules and atoms of chemical pollutants like chlorine and insecticides attach to the outside surface of the activated carbon.

Due to the high surface area of the activated carbon, a vast range of organic compounds and chemicals are extracted. The water exiting the activated carbon water filter comes out clean and devoid of organic compounds, chlorine, pesticides, organic chemicals, and chloramine. If the AC filter was deployed as a pretreatment filter, the filtered water harvested is used as the feed water for the primary water filtration system. The underlying video illustrates the working principles a typically activated carbon filter adheres to.

➣What Are Activated Carbon Filters Made of?

Activated carbon filters are quite similar to other water filters systems like multimedia filters and pressure sand filters. Their filtration material and working principles are however dissimilar in a number of ways. Where multimedia filters are made of distinct layers of sand, garnet, and anthracite, activated carbon water filters are made up of multiple layers of carbon blocks or granules. Underneath, we will be looking at the varying parts and components that make up a complete and fully functioning activated carbon filter for water treatment.

●      Filter vessel/housing.

The filter vessel is a tank made of stainless steel, fiberglass, or high-quality plastic that accommodates the bed of activated carbon. The filter vessel/tank also consists of inlet and outlet faucets that usher in raw water and produce filtered water. They are manufactured in varying sizes and designs depending on the imminent field of application.

●      Activated carbon.

Activated carbon is the primary filtration barrier used in activated carbon filters. Typically activated carbon beds are made of granular carbon or block carbon. The carbon deployed is highly porous, which offers higher surface areas thereby facilitating higher outputs. The activated carbon used in AC filters is primarily sourced from carbonaceous materials such as coconut shells, sawdust, petroleum pitch, bamboo, and varying types of coal. Activated carbon is essentially the adsorbent that seizes the objectionable elements through adsorption.

●      Control unit.

The control unit is a component that allows the user to control the day-to-day operations of the activated carbon filter. Pre-programmable control units are installed on automatic and semi-automatic activated carbon water filter systems to automate the system’s functionality. Other components include the distribution system, control valves, and filter cartridge.

➣What Are the Distinct Types of Activated Carbon Water Filters?

The demand for activated carbon filters continues to proliferate exponentially as water purification applications diversify. Manufacturers of water treatment systems are continually innovating newer technologies and improving older technologies to ensure that their target market remains gratified.

As a result, there is presently a myriad of different activated carbon water filters exclusively designed for specific applications. The distinct activated charcoal filters are categorized based on two principal parameters; the carbonaceous material used and the application scope. Below, we briefly discuss the two main types of activated carbon filters.

●      Point of entry activated carbon filters.

Also known as the whole house activated carbon block water filters, point-of-entry AC filters are primarily installed at a household’s main water entry point. They practically filter all the water entering a household before it is distributed into varied appliances, fixtures, or outlet faucets. The whole house activated carbon filters are mainly used to extract organic compounds and chemicals that can harm household members if ingested, inhaled, or absorbed by the skin.

●      Point of use activated carbon filters.

Point-of-use activated carbon filters are precisely installed close to the fixture, faucet, or appliance supplied with filtered water. For instance, they can be installed close to a kitchen sink to extract organic chemicals causing unpleasant odors and tastes. Point of use AC filters can be used to target specific impurities. If you need a customized and elaborate activated carbon filter design, kindly contact us for more information or order placement.

➣Which Impurities Do Activated Carbon Filters Eradicate?

In water treatment applications, activated carbon filters are primarily used to extract specific pollutants. They are uniquely designed to eliminate a range of physical impurities, chemical pollutants, and gaseous contaminants. According to renowned bodies like the NSF and EPA, activated carbon water filters can effectively filter out approximately 60 to 80 chemicals. They can also sufficiently shrink the concentration of 30 chemicals and moderately extract the other 22 chemicals.

As such, activated carbon filter systems are often recommended to filter out over 32 organic pollutants, 12 renowned herbicides, and 14 established pesticides. The organic pollutants expelled include Trihalomethane (THMs) and chlorine compounds. First-rate AC filters can eliminate up to 99% of chlorine and 50-70% of chloride. The herbicides eliminated include atrazine. Activated carbon filters also remove chloramine, copper, nitrates, arsenic, fluoride, and heavy metals.

However, they do not expel all ranges of waterborne contaminants. Activated carbon filters are incapable of filtering out microbial pathogens, dissolved solids like minerals and salts, inorganic impurities, and radionuclides. To extract the remaining impurities, the activated carbon filter system must be supplemented by additional water purification systems. These can be reverse osmosis systems, UV water sterilizers, or ion exchange systems.

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➣What Are the Main Benefits of Activated Carbon Filters?

They are widely used and immensely revered thanks to their broad array of benefits. Over the years, we have incorporated cutting-edge technologies into our activated carbon filters to elevate their productivity and low their investment and operational expenditures. Underneath, we briefly summarize some of the most common and impactful benefits of activated carbon water filters.

●      Natural material.

Activated carbon filters utilize granular or block carbon as the primary filtration media. The activated carbon used is commonly sourced from coconut shells, sawdust, and bituminous coal among other natural substances. This translates into a natural filtration process that is environmentally friendly, to say the least.

●      Low-cost.

Purchasing and operating an activated carbon filter for water treatment is at present affordable and pretty inexpensive. Compared to other types of water filters, AC filters are some of the cheapest to procure and operate. In addition, they are easy to operate and maintain.

●      Enhance water odor and taste.

Activated carbon filters eliminate numerous chemicals and organic compounds including those that cause awful tastes and smells. For instance, they extract hydrogen sulfide, which gives water an awful smell similar to rotten eggs. By extracting these contaminants, activated carbon water filters make the water more palatable.

●      Adsorption of multiple impurities.

The range of undesirable pollutants eliminated by activated carbon filters transcends physical impurities, chemical impurities, and gaseous pollutants. They remove chlorine, chlorine compounds, pesticides, herbicides, microplastics, Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs), and chloramine among others.

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➣Can You Combine Activated Carbon Filters with Other Water Filtration Systems?

Yes. In fact, activated carbon water filters are best utilized when deployed as complimentary water filters. Despite being applicable as standalone water filters, AC filters are mostly deployed in tandem with other water filtration systems. When deployed as supplemental systems, they can be deployed as pretreatment or post-treatment filters. Deploying the following systems together with AC filters can bring about mutual rewards.

●      Reverse osmosis systems.

Typical reverse osmosis systems are fitted with pretreatment units at the manufacturing facility. The integrated pretreatment unit often consists of activated carbon filters and sediment filters. AC filters are primarily deployed to extract chemical pollutants likely to foul the reverse osmosis membranes. They also eliminate chemical impurities responsible for unpleasantly smelling and tasting water.

●      UV water sterilizers.

Activated carbon filters are essentially incapable of destroying or removing microbial pathogens found in water. As such, filtered water harvested from an activated carbon filter is often polished using UV water sterilizers. These water sterilization devices utilize germicidal radiation to destroy the nucleic acid of microorganisms, consequently halting their reproduction/growth.

●      Ion exchange systems.

Ion exchange systems are primarily used to extract dissolved ions from water. These ions include minerals and metals. However, they are incapable of eliminating chemical impurities such as chlorine and organic chemicals. Coupling ion exchange systems and activated carbon systems elevate the range of impurities extracted and help protect the ion exchange resins.

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➣How Do You Clean Activated Carbon Filters for Water Treatment?

Dust particles, debris, and other solids build up on the surface of the activated carbon bed during in-service cycles. Excessive accumulation of these constituents may lead to the blockage of the porous activated carbon bed consequently deteriorating the filter’s filtration capacity. To mitigate this, activated carbon filters are frequently backwashed. Backwashing is a simple process that flushes clean water in reverse to dislodge trapped impurities.

To backwash an activated carbon water filter, you must first detach the filter from the filter housing or vessel. Subsequently, flush clean water through the filter from the bottom to the top. The trapped impurities exit at the top together with the backwash water. Rinse the filter using freshwater before restoring the filter into the filter housing. For more information on when and how to clean an activated carbon filter, kindly go through the attached user guidebook.

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➣What is the Lifespan of Activated Carbon Filters?

Activated carbon water filters have a lifespan that ranges from 6 months to 12 months. The durability of an activated carbon filter for water treatment primarily hinges on the filter’s quality, the quantity of carbon, feed water quality, and maintenance frequency. Activated carbon filters manufactured by renowned and accredited manufacturers have a longer life span compared to low-quality AC filters.

Additionally, activated carbon block water filters made up of more carbon granules or blocks are comparatively effective and more durable than AC filters with lesser carbon. The lifespan of an activated carbon water filter can be prolonged by deploying supplemental filters e.g. sediment filters. For long-lasting, reliable, and cost-efficient activated carbon filters, order from NEWater.

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