Municipal and Industrial drinking water purification

  

Open gravity

       Open gravity drinking water filters

Several technologies are used in the treatment of drinking water, and purification using activated carbon is often one of the important stages in a system. Activated carbon is used to control a wide range of contaminants including organics that influence taste and odour of the water, and potentially harmful chemicals such as pesticides and VOCs (Volatile Organic Compounds). In addition activated carbon is effective against disinfection by-products such as THM's (TriHaloMethanes) which may be formed from reaction of chlorine with organics.
 
 

In recent years the presence of potential endocrine disrupters in drinking water has become an important topic and activated carbon has an important and developing role in this area too.

Drinking water that is to be treated needs to be tested first to determine types and concentrations of contaminants and thereby select the most effective treatment methods. If activated carbon is required, the type will be influenced by the type of impurities that need to be removed from the water and the type of water to be treated (surface water, groundwater or bank infiltrate). Coal, coconut and wood based carbons are all used in water treatment.
Activated carbon is used in many public and industrial drinking water treatment works as one of the stages, where necessary depending on the prevailing water quality and types of contaminants present. It may either be used in powder form, in a dosing system, or in permanent beds of granular carbon. Powder dosing may be needed during periods where higher concentrations of contaminants are present for whatever reason.
When the activated carbon is saturated or the treatment objective is reached, spent activated carbon may be replaced and removed from the process for recycling by thermal reactivation in dedicated high temperature furnaces.

daily life

        Activated carbon in your daily life

The ability of the spent activated carbon to be successfully reactivated will depend on a number of factors. Therefore guidelines for the classification and measurement of spent activated carbon in drinking water treatment were jointly developed and issued by the ACPA.