Carbon filters are used in many air and water purifiers

But how do carbon filters work? Carbon filters are made of activated carbon, in particular charcoal that has been treated with oxygen to form many small pores in the charcoal.

Due to the many small pores the charcoal now has an extremely large surface area, to which some types of impurities adhere as they pass through the charcoal filter.

Activated carbon is good at trapping other carbon-based impurities, as well as other chemicals such as chlorine. Charcoal filters do not remove microbes, nitrates, sodium, and fluoride, because they do not bond well with carbon.

The charcoals many small pores form a very fine filter, and as many gases are carbon based, charcoal filters are very good at removing odors, such as cigarette smoke, cooking odors, and fumes.

Over time the carbon filter becomes less efficient, because the small pores in the charcoal gradually get filled. The carbon filter therefore needs at some stage to be replaced.

Activated carbon filters used to filtrate water become a breeding ground for bacteria. The bacteria feed on the organic matter that is trapped in the pores. Public drinking water is bacteria free, so it’s more of an issue with water from a private well.

In any event, it’s still a good idea to run the tap for 30 seconds every morning or at any time the filter has not been used for several hours. This flushing of the carbon filter results in much lower levels of bacteria.

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