Benefits of an activated carbon water filter

Many force fed water filters and most gravity fed water filters use a carbon filter. What is coal? It is the solid residue obtained by destructive distillation of wood. This process also acetic acid, more combustible gases, wood alcohol, and some other products. 

Charcoal is an odorless and taste of solid, porous, black, and brittle. Charcoal is usually too close to float in water, but sometimes it is not. How can it be? This is because coal is the remarkable ability to adsorb solids and gases. Charcoal is so good that it can adsorb enough gas to make it float. 

The filters use a form of carbon called activated charcoal, charcoal, or carbon. Activation is a process to make coal extra porous. Consider this: just one gram of activated charcoal has a surface area from 500 m to 1500 m! Since it takes 454 grams to make a pound and a tennis court which is 260 m, it is clear that this coal is porous indeed! By having a larger surface, more impurities are sure to come in contact with coal. 

Charcoal is used in filters because of its ability to adsorb. This is not absorption, but adsorption. "Adsorption is the concentration of a gas, liquid or solid on the surface of a liquid or solid with which it is in contact with." One cubic centimeter of charcoal are able to adsorb 90 cc of ammonia gas. Charcoal Adsorb other drugs even better. 

Contaminants in the water passes through the filter and comes into contact with activated carbon. These substances are attracted by the charcoal by what is called the van der Wails forces.   

Putting it simply, molecular forces bind some compounds to wood charcoal. Not all drugs are equally attracted to activated carbon. Substances such as alcohols, glycols, ammonia, strong acids and bases, metals and most inorganic substances, as boric acid lithium, sodium, iron, arsenic, lead, and fluoride are not filtered as well. 

his is good news and bad news. This is good news, because our bodies need minerals in water. We do not want them filtered out. Flour said to be good for dental health, as many do not want to either filtered. But others on the list above is undesirable and the filter must have other substances to remove them. 

Summary pass water and pollutants through activated carbon filter, and because of the filter? S porosity, the substances that may come into contact with carbon. Van der Wails forces will cause the substances to be attracted to the charcoal where they will remain until the filter is washed or replaced. For the pollutant, the dead end road. For the person who drinks water, it is refreshing and healthy.