Water Filtration Systems and How They Work

Understand the various process that are used in water filtrations systems and the manner in which they work.

There are various kinds of water filtration systems that exist in the market. The processes that they use may also differ based on the sophistication of the technology that they use. Some of the most popular processes used in water filtration systems and the manner in which they work has been discussed below.

- Activated carbon water filtration systems – These water filtration systems are most commonly used and they have positively charged active carbon that attracts and traps impurities. They are used in countertops, faucet filters and under the sink filters too. These are effective in getting rid of bad odours and taste, heavy metals, parasites and pesticides.
- Cation exchange softners – These are water filtration systems that soften hard water by exchanging minerals with a positive charge. These are mainly used in whole house water filtration systems and are effective in removing calcium, magnesium, barium and other impurities that cause health hazards.
- Distillers – These are systems that boil water and condense the steam that is produced to give pure water. While they are effective in removing heavy metals and other impurities, the process takes a long time and therefore these water filtration systems are extremely expensive too.
- Reverse osmosis – Reverse osmosis used a semipermeable membrane that separates the impurities from water. This process requires water to be passed with a lot of pressure. They are often used in combination with activated carbon filters.
- Ultraviolet disinfection – These water filtration systems fill bacteria and micro-organisms and are used mainly in under-the-sink units.