Carbon Filtration

Elite Water Systems recommends catalytic, high activity granular activated carbon manufactured by steam activation of select coconut shell charcoal. The catalytic activity of this activated carbon makes it highly effective for the removal of chloramines and hydrogen sulfide from potable water. Its large micropore volume makes it particularly well suited for the removal of low molecular weight organic compounds and their chlorinated by-products such as chloroform and other trihalomethanes (THMs). An important feature of this material is its superior mechanical hardness and the extensive dedusting during its manufacture ensures an exceptionally clean activated carbon product.

Carbon is a substance that has a long history of being used to absorb impurities and is perhaps the most powerful absorbent known to man. One pound of carbon contains a surface area of roughly 125 acres and can absorb literally thousands of different chemicals. Activated carbon is carbon which has a slight electro-positive charge added to it, making it even more attractive to chemicals and impurities. As the water passes over the positively charged carbon surface, the negative ions of the contaminants are drawn to the surface of the carbon granules. Activated carbon filters are usually rated by the size of the particles they are able to remove, measured in microns, and generally range from 50 microns (least effective) down to 0.5 microns (most effective).