Carbon Filters    for Purification of Drinking Water & Trade Waste Water The Environmental Warehouse home page
	Benefits
	Well established method for treating many types of organic chemicals.  Removes odour, toxic chemicals, pesticides, herbicides, taste and colour.  Suitable for recovery of organic solvents.  Absorbs organic chemicals which are not removed by biological treatment.  Simple to operate, small area required.  Available as fixed filters, disposable canisters, or as powdered carbon for direct injection into water.
	Description
	Filtration with activated carbon is a established method for treating drinking water, trade and municipal wastewater.  The process uses carbonaceous matter derived from coal, coconut shells, timber or peat. These materials are modified under heat and pressure to produce a granular filter media which is highly porous with a surface area in excess of 1,000 square metres per gram.  The surface of the porous media is highly active towards soluble organic chemicals, which are absorbed and removed from the water phase during filtration.  Filters are available in simplex, duplex or series form to suit various flow rates and organic loadings.
	Gravity filter used in trade  wastewater recycling system at electroplating factory.
	Filtration Systems
	Gravity and Pressure Filters
	Steel tanks epoxy lined or FRP vessels.  Sizes from 300 litres of granulated activated carbon.  Flow rates: 500 - 10,000 L/h.  Retention time (EBRT) minimum 15 minutes.  Flow distributors to ensure uniform flow pattern.  Designed for high load.
	Drum Filters
	200 litre steel drum epoxy lined.  Sizes from 300 litres of granulated activated carbon.  150 litres of granulated activated carbon.  Flow rate: 2,000 L/h maximum.  Operating pressure: 100 kPa maximum.  Retention time (EBRT) minimum 15 minutes.  Flow distributors to ensure uniform flow pattern.  Inlet and outlet: 50mm.
	Cartridge Filters
	Tough polypropylene construction.  Suitable for drinking water.  Flow rate: 1,000 L/h maximum.  Operating pressure: 400 pa maximum.  Dimensions: 620 x 130mm diameter.  Wide range of large capacity cartridges for sediment, colour, taste, organics and odour.  Inlet and outlet: 20mm NB.
	Applications
	Carbon filters are generally applied to remove soluble organic chemicals prior to discharge to the environment. Carbon is suitable for the removal of both low and high organic concentrations.  For removal of low concentration pollutants (10-20 mg/L as COD) a single down filter is usually applied. For removal of high concentration pollutants (>150 mg/L as COD) multiple filters are required. These may be operated in series or in a counter current mode to ensure complete organics removal.  Filters should be installed after pretreatment steps designed to minimize solids and organic loading, such as biological treatment, flocculation or sand filtration.
	Industrial Wastewater Applications
	Carbon filtration is suitable for many types of waste streams and pollutants including ... Trade waste water recycling systems  Aqua culture water cycle purification  Chlorine removal  Colour (textile inks, printing inks etc.)  Odour removal  Polishing step after biological treatment  Refinery waste water (phenolics, benzene etc.)  Removal of non biodegradable organics  Solvents (acetone, kerosene etc.)  Textile wastewater  Volatile organic chemicals  Water based inks
	Water Purification Applications
	Carbon filtration is also suitable for many types of water purification applications including ... Beer production  Blue-green algae removal  Soft drink production  Taste & odour removal from drinking water  Treating river water to remove pesticides etc. Water should always be disinfected after carbon filtration if it is to be used for human consumption.
	Filter Design
	Environmental Warehouse offer a full design service for most filtration applications. We will assess the application and determine the most appropriate type of carbon, the required contact time and filter size.
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