Activated Carbon is tested to remove the 14 most common pesticides including Chlordane, Chlordecone (CLD/Kepone), Glyphosate (Round-up), Heptachlor, and Lindane. Pesticides are substances that are meant to control pests, including weeds that end up in groundwater, lakes, rivers, the oceans and sometimes tap water despite treatment. In exceptional cases chloride may actually increase. It does not need to be filtered or removed but activated carbon typically reduces chloride by 50-70%. It’s a part of the chlorination process of drinking water from harmful bacteria and viruses. Chloride is a natural component of tap water without any negative health aspects. However, excessive Chloride in water may cause a salty taste. Chloride (Cl-)Ĭhloride is a natural mineral that helps maintain proper blood volume, blood pressure, and pH of body fluids. The most common measured in tap water reports is total THMs. According to EPA it removes the 32 most common chlorine by-products. Activated carbon is more effective than any other filter technology in removing these. The most common concern about tap water is by-products (VOCs) from chlorine such as THMs that are identified as potentially cancerous. Chloride may actually increase slightly when the water is filtered with activated carbon. High quality activated carbon filters can remove 95% or more of the free chlorine.įor more details on this read about total and free chlorine.Ĭhlorine should not be confused with Chloride which is a mineral combined by sodium and calcium. Activated Carbon filters are excellent at removing chlorine and related poor taste and odor. However, to make it safe, chlorine is added which may make it taste and smell bad. Most public tap water in Europe and North America is highly regulated, tested and certified for drinking. These are the specific contaminants and other chemicals that charcoal filters remove. all 14 listed pesticides (this includes nitrates as well as pesticides such as glyphosate also referred to as roundup).all 32 identified organic contaminants including THMs (by-products from chlorine).Make sure to chose a filter that removes the contaminants of concern for your local tap water.Īccording to EPA (the Environmental Protection Agency in the United States) Activated Carbon is the only filter technology recommended to remove The range of effective removal is important and depends on the quality of the activated carbon used and in what form (GAC vs carbon block). However, the most cited studies by EPA and NSF claim effective removal of between 60-80 chemicals, effective reduction of another 30 and moderate reduction for 22. What does active carbon filters remove and reduce?Īctivated carbon can be effective in reducing hundreds of substances including contaminants and other chemicals from the tap water. Jacobi produces the highest quality activated carbon such as Aquasorb based on sustainable and fair sourcing of coconuts. One of the top activated carbon manufacturers in the world is Swedish Jacobi used by TAPP Water. Therefore the typical carbon blocks are between 1-5 micron. The problem with the smallest sizes is that the water flow ends up being reduced as even the water particles struggle to get through. Activated carbon in the form of carbon blocks on the other hand usually have a pore size of between 0.5 to 10 micron. Granular activated carbon (GAC) has no specific limit as the material is porous. Activated carbon can also be made of wood or coal and sold as granular activated carbon or carbon blocks.Īnother factor is the size of the particles that the filter will allow through as this provides a second defense. One factor is the quality of the activated carbon with coconut shells proven to have the best efficiency. In addition to the surface area active carbon filters may have different capabilities in terms of the size of contaminants they remove. Therefore most smaller active carbon filters should be used with low pressure and cold water. The effectiveness depends on the flow and temperature of the water. When the water flows through active carbon filters the chemicals stick to the carbon resulting in purer water output. It’s the massive surface area that allows active carbon filters to be very effective in adsorbing (essentially removing) contaminants and other substances. Just 4 grams of activated carbon has a surface area the equivalent of a football field (6400 sqm). Activated carbon filters sometimes referred to as charcoal filters contain small pieces of carbon, in granular or block form, that have been treated to be extremely porous.
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