TYPES OF WATER FILTRATION

1. Activated Carbon (Charcoal) Filters

Activated charcoal is charcoal that has been

treated with oxygen to open up millions of
tiny pores between the carbon atoms.

Carbon filtering is a method of filtering that uses a bed of activated carbon to

remove contaminants and impurities, using chemical adsorption.
Commonly Used for : water purification, air purifiers and industrial gas processing

Activated carbon works via a process called adsorption, whereby pollutant

molecules in the fluid to be treated are trapped inside the pore structure of the
carbon substrate.

Active charcoal carbon filters are most effective at removing chlorine, sediment, volatile
organic compounds (VOCs), taste and odor from water. They are not effective at removing
minerals, salts, and dissolved inorganic compounds. Typical particle sizes that can be
removed by carbon filters range from 0.5 to 50 micrometers.
2. Distillation ( one of the oldest methods of water treatment )

Relies on evaporation to purify water. Contaminated water is heated to form steam.

Inorganic compounds and large non-volatile organic molecules do not evaporate with
the water and are left behind. The steam then cools and condenses to form purified
water.

Distillation effectively removes inorganic compounds such as metals (lead),

nitrate, and other nuisance particles such as iron and hardness from a contaminated
water supply. The boiling process also kills microorganisms such as bacteria and some
viruses. Distillation removes oxygen and some trace metals from water. 
3. Reverse Osmosis

is a technology that is used to remove a large majority of contaminants from water

by pushing the water under pressure through a semi-permeable membrane.

Osmosis
is a naturally occurring phenomenon and one of the most important processes in
nature. It is a process where a weaker saline solution will tend to migrate to a strong saline
solution. Examples of osmosis are when plant roots absorb water from the soil and our
kidneys absorb water from our blood.

semi-permeable membrane 
is a membrane that will
allow some atoms or molecules to pass but not others.
Reverse Osmosis is the process of Osmosis in reverse.
Whereas Osmosis occurs naturally without energy required, to reverse the process of
osmosis you need to apply energy to the more saline solution. A reverse osmosis
membrane is a semi-permeable membrane that allows the passage of water molecules but
not the majority of dissolved salts, organics, bacteria and pyrogens.

However, you need to 'push' the water through the reverse osmosis membrane by
applying pressure that is greater than the naturally occurring osmotic pressure in order to
desalinate (demineralize or deionize) water in the process, allowing pure water through
while holding back a majority of contaminants.

Reverse Osmosis is capable of removing

up to 99%+ of the :
dissolved salts (ions)
particles
colloids
organics
bacteria
pyrogens
How does Reverse Osmosis work?
Reverse Osmosis works by using a high pressure pump to increase the pressure on the
salt side of the RO and force the water across the semi-permeable RO membrane, leaving
almost all (around 95% to 99%) of dissolved salts behind in the reject stream. The amount
of pressure required depends on the salt concentration of the feed water. The more
concentrated the feed water, the more pressure is required to overcome the osmotic
pressure.

The desalinated water that is demineralized or deionized, is called permeate (or

product) water. The water stream that carries the concentrated contaminants that did not
pass through the RO membrane is called the reject (or concentrate) stream.
4. Ion Exchange
Is a water treatment process commonly used for water softening or demineralization,
but it also used to remove other substances from the water in processes such as de-
alkalization, deionization, and disinfection.

Removing Ionic Contaminants

This attraction is used to remove dissolved ionic contaminants from water. The
exchange process occurs between a solid (resin or a zeolite) and a liquid (water). In the
process, the less desired compounds are swapped for those that are considered more
desirable. These desirable ions are loaded onto the resin material.

Various contaminants Removed

- Nitrate
- fluoride
- sulfate
- arsenic
How does ion exchange (IX) work
When an ionic substance is dissolved in water, its molecules dissociate into cations
(positively charged particles) and anions (negatively charged particles). Taking advantage of
this characteristic, IX selectively replaces ionic substances based on their electrical
charges.
This is accomplished by passing an ionic solution through an IX resin that serves as a
matrix where the ion exchange reaction is allowed to take place. Most commonly, IX resins
take the form of tiny, porous microbeads, though they are sometimes available as a sheet-
like membrane. IX resins are fashioned from organic polymers, such as polystyrene, which
form a network of hydrocarbons that electrostatically bind a large number of ionizable
groups. As the process or waste stream flows through the IX resin, the loosely held ions on
the surface of the resin are replaced by ions with a higher affinity for the resin material.