Advantages And Disadvantages Of Various Filtration Technologies

By Scott Rodgers

Various water filters differ from each other because of many factors and one of the important factors is the technology used for filtering water. We will now compare different water filtration methods like Distillation, Carbon Absorption, Microporous Basic Filtration, Reverse Osmosis and Ultraviolet Radiations.

Distillation is a process in which water is heated till it starts boiling. The water vapors thus formed are condensed in another vessel to generate pure water. The contaminants of water are left in the liquid vessel only. This method of water filtration is very common and old.

It lacks oxygen and minerals and has a flat taste. Organics such as herbicides and pesticides with boiling points lower than that of water cannot be removed efficiently and can actually become concentrated in the product water. One more disadvantage of using it is the large amount of energy and water used by this filtration system.

Carbon filters are very effective in cleaning water. When water flows through carbon filters, contaminants adsorb or stick to the surfaces of the carbon particles and the water is passed through it. Activated carbon filters are reported to be the best method available for removing specific organic chemicals, including some pesticide residues. Studies have also shown that GAC (granular activated carbon) adsorption is an effective method for radon removal. Carbon water filter devices are available in several sizes and designs. They are relatively inexpensive to replace and ensure a continued high standard of filtration.

A microporous filtration system has three different layers for filtration solving different purposes. These layers are- depth layer, screen layer and surface layer. Top most layer is depth layer and it is also referred as pre-filter. This layer eliminates 98% of impurities from the water. Next comes surface filter and it eliminates 99.99% of suspended impurities. At the end we have screen filter to remove any remaining dust particle.

Reverse Osmosis filters are widely used to provide purified water. The reverse osmosis process basically draws water through an extremely fine membrane. The membrane acts like an exceptionally fine filter to create drinkable water from salty or contaminated water.

When the water goes for filtration, pressure is applied on water first to stop and then to reverse the osmotic pressure. As a result of this pressure you get highly purified water. It wastes a lot of water in purification process and it is one of its biggest disadvantages.

Ultraviolet radiations are very effective in killing germs and hence makes water germ free. Mercury low pressure lamp generating 254 nm UV light is an efficient way of doing this. All the germs and microorganisms are either killed or inactivated by this process, giving you clean and clear water. - 30517

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