Filtration of water is the process of removing unwanted contaminants from the water. Water filtration’s goal is to provide safe drinking water.
Water purification can be on a small or large scale. It is all about supplying clean, potable water for industrial or domestic purposes.
Water filters need to remove any dangerous substances from water, but how do they work? Get the info you need here.
What Is the Importance of Water Filtration?
Visually determining the quality of water is nearly impossible. To measure contamination levels, there are a variety of methods, including:
- Physical tests
- Chemical tests
- Biological tests.
Before piping the water to the end consumer, a water purification treatment plant filters the tap water. The water quality is checked immediately after it’s filtered before entering the municipal feed pipes. The age and length of the feed lines, on the other hand, are unknown.
It is not uncommon for pipes to be decades old. Filtered water can become polluted with everything it touches along the way if it travels for an extended period through them. In addition, microorganisms, bacteria, and viruses can redistribute through old pipes.
So it is not a good idea to rely solely on the water suppliers’ filtration. Instead, fitting an after-market water filtration system in your home or business is a good idea.
What Are the Different Types of Water Filters?
There are numerous water filtrations systems. So let’s compare water filters and find out exactly how a water filter works?
Let’s cover both aspects.
Granular Activated Carbon & Activated Carbon (GAC)
Adsorption is the accumulation of contaminants on a surface using a solid such as carbon. Sediment, chlorine, and volatile organic compounds are removed by activated charcoal filters (VOCs). Carbon filtration isn’t as good at eliminating salts, minerals, and dissolved inorganic substances.
Even if the filter is treated, bacterial colonies might grow inside it if not used for a long time.
Reverse Osmosis (RO)
Reverse Osmosis uses different filters to remove pollutants. The first is generally a mechanical filter. Followed by 2 carbon filters. A semi-permeable lining follows those and lastly, it’s followed by a chemical filter.
For larger contaminants, RO is the ideal water filtering process. RO water filtration systems use high pressure to drive water through a semi-permeable filter. The water can thus flow through the filter, but not the pollutants.
RO is one of the most effective filtering technologies for removing bacteria and viruses from water.
Distillation Method
Distillation is one of the most basic methods for filtering water. First, the condensed vapor from boiling water is collected separately. The impurities left in the original container are then eliminated.
But, certain impurities can reach a boil before the water and transfer with the distillation water to the second vessel.
Deionization & Ion Exchange Filters (DI)
The chemical process of eliminating dissolved contaminants, or ions, from water is known as deionization (DI). Ion exchange neutralizes ions by exchanging them with other ions. It is suitable for impurity concentrations that aren’t too high. Deionization generates water that is pure and of high quality.
DI is usually ineffective against organic contaminants.
Which Water Filter to Choose?
You should choose specific water filtering systems based on considerations such as the quality of intake water, the degree of purification required, the intended water usage, flow capacity requirements, government rules, available capital, and operational and maintenance expenses.
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