Looking for the answer to “Use of Activated Carbon Filters“.

All you have water filter technicians visiting your house several times a year. You must have seen him changing the RO and other kinds of filters present in the water purifier installed.

You must have noticed one filter in the air purifier or air conditions. This filter comes with several holes in it with a black colored net or filter.

This is actually called the “Activated Carbon Filter” which helps in the removal of the bad odor. These filters are resistant to diseases, healthy to drink, and making water more full of taste.

Use of activated carbon filter - Air Purifiers and Air Conditioners

We have written this article on what is Activated Carbon Filter - Working & Usage in Air Purifiers and Air Conditioners.

This same filter can be seen in the water purifiers which helps in the removal of the bad taste. Carbon filters present also makes water odor-free, thus safe for drinking.

As a matter of fact, this filter “Activated Carbon Filter” is the main tool that helps in the cleaning of the water in RO systems. This culture is also followed in the air purifiers and air conditions with purifiers in it.

What is an Activated Carbon Filter?

Activated carbon filters are small pieces of carbon. Activated carbon filters are present usually in particulate or powdered black form, that can be treated as extremely porous.

As a matter of fact, they are small to the point that even as low as 1 gram of activated charcoal can cover 500 meters squared area. This estimation can help you to figure out how porous these carbon filter particles are. Therefore, with this high surface area, it can cover, they can absorb a lot of impurities from the surrounding.

Biologically, when some impurities pass through the surface, then it chemically reacts with them. After reacting with the carbon particles, impurities get attached to these impurities.

This change in the impurity level is not easily recognized with our naked senses. This has been proven by tools that show how activated carbon filter is a successful and efficient tool for the filtration process.

What is an activated Carbon Filter made of?

The activated carbon filters as the name suggest are made of the activated carbon particles. These carbon particles are in particulate form or are seen in the form of granules, thus they are extremely porous.

It is, of course, said, that more the porous the carbon is, the more and more effective in the filtering capacity. The more the surface area there is present in the carbon (activated), the more efficient it is in the absorption. Thus more efficient is in absorbing impurities and the air-borne disease initiators.

How does activated carbon work

The activated carbon filter comes with a bed of carbon which is activated or particulate in nature. It ensures to remove the impurities and harmful contaminants from the air or the water that passes through it.

Chemically or specifically, the absorption process of the same starts when the volatile organic component passes through this layer, whereby they stick to this filter.

Reaction with oxygen opens the pores of the filters. This helps to absorb most of the responsible contaminants and bad odor from the air.

Activated filters can remove hazardous impurities

• Volatile Organic Compounds
• Chlorine
• Sediments
• Herbicides and Pesticides
• Odor
• Disease Bound Viruses

Some other filters work better than these carbon filters, thus they can be used to filter the physical particles as well. The filters like the HEPA filter and PM 2.5 filters are even capable to attract the physical filters. Therefore, they can be used even for making your home air more clean and healthy.

Activated Carbon filters not individually used much, but it is known to supplement other filters by acting upon the volatile compounds present in the air and allowing to pass through as well.

Activated carbon the activated charcoal is used to filter the water too where it is forced to pass through the activated carbon. This makes it cleaner, odor-free, and safe for drinking.

Pros and Cons Of Activated Carbon Filter

Advantages

There are many advantages of the activated carbon filters. They are much more than removing or absorbing the deadly or foreign particles from the surrounding air or water. They are seen to be easy to formulate and are less costly in our pockets.

So here I’ve listed some of the advantages of the activated carbon filters

• They’re able to filter the VOC’s (volatile organic compounds) and some other harmful gases present.
• Quite Effective in the removal of chlorine from the water.
• This can be referred to as the best filter for tasting water
• It is relatively low priced, portable and lightweight technology is helpful to maintain the mobility of the same.
• It can remove the pesticides from water and can remove the deadly pollutants present like carbon monoxide, ozone, and ethylene dioxide in the air.

Disadvantages

An activated carbon filter is not a perfect filtering parameter, but know that it can be referred to as one of the most prominent filtering technology used. Despite having so many advantages of activated carbon filters - they do come with some cons or disadvantages as well.

So, I’m listing some of the disadvantages of activated carbon filter

• We know that carbon filters work by attracting some allergens and chemicals. On the other hand, there are some of the pollutants which don’t get attracted to the same. Chemicals like nitrates, sodium, and fluorides.
• There may be a need to using the activated carbon filter in combination with other filters as well. It can help you to attract some of the bacterias which are otherwise not attracted to them.
• They don’t have much of filtering life span because it loses its capabilities to the point. While the pores of activated carbon get filled with the contaminants, thus they rapid replacement.

Are all carbon filters the same?

The activated carbon filters remove significantly a large amount of the contaminant or air pollutants present in the atmospheric air that passes through the same. They’re much better than any carbon filter because they have much more surface area for absorption.

The more the carbon is activated, the more it has filtering capabilities and it will be easier for the filter.

• We know that the filtering capacity of an activated carbon filter is dependent on how fine the particles of carbon are. The finer the particles the more is the life of the filter, thus needing lesser replacements and keeping the air clean for more.
• As a matter of fact, the smaller the particle of activated carbon in the filter. The more it is easier for the filter to absorb the impurities because the surface area is directly proportional to the extent of absorption.
• Some of the activated carbon filters also come mixed with certain other chemicals as well. Such as magnesium monoxide and copper oxide which can help to remove pollutants from single carbon filters that cannot absorb or attract.

Note- For a better cooking environment in your home, you must install a chimney for kitchen. It can help to filter your room of filth present in the air, in the form of fumes and smoke.

What is the benefit of activated carbon filters in our homes?

We all know how useful the activated carbon is, but then the question arises that can we personally bring it into use for ourselves, or it can be used only with air purifiers and water purifiers.

The answer is - YES, we can all use the activated carbon filter in our houses to get rid of the harmful pollutant present that can be a hazard to our health.

In the air purification systems, the activated carbon filter is used with a combination in HEPA Filters which is even capable of trapping allergens and impurities:

• Dust
• Mold Spores
• Odor
• Bacterias and Viruses
• Benzene
• VOCs (Volatile Organic Compounds)
• Lint

As a matter of fact, the carbon filter when used in combination with the HEPA filter is capable of removing or absorbing most of the airborne diseased. Also targets 99.6% of the physical particles levitating in the air as well. Which limits to as low as 0.3 microns in diameter.

To people with health-related problems such as allergy and asthma kind of problem when they come in contact with harsh air, therefore to help themselves in such a situation, they can help themselves with this carbon activated filter at their places.

The activated carbon filter is not just cleaning the air you breathe in your home or office, but eventually, its effect can be seen on your respiratory health as well, where our body starts cleaning itself making humans more and more healthy.