4 ms·

Are normal activated carbon water filters NOT eco-friendly (by implication)?

• thereisnospork 4y ago
  If they were eco-friendly it certainly would be inconvenient for their marketing strategy.
• sp332 4y ago
  You can't rinse and re-use an activated carbon filter.
  • danparsonson 4y ago
    Wouldn't rinsing this filter just throw all the plastic back into the water system?
    • sp332 4y ago
      You could put it in a landfill instead?
    • vanderZwan 4y ago
      Depends on how you handle the water. You can evaporate it for example and try to extract the plastics. Or maybe treat it chemically (which might cheaper if the microplastic concentration is higher in water used in cleaning the filter)
• throwaway09223 4y ago
  Activated carbon is typically used to catalyze organic compounds. There are better filters for physically trapping particles - like RO membranes. All filters have a cost. It looks like they're trying to do a better job using electrophoresis, which is great!
  • orangepurple 4y ago
    My multistage undersink water filter uses sand, then carbon, then the RO membrane, in that order, to greatly extend the lifespan of the RO membrane
• vanderZwan 4y ago
  > Prof. Lee Ju-hyuck's research team in joint research with Dr. Cho Han-cheol's team at the Korea Institute of Industrial Technology developed the world's first eco-friendly power generation device that removes fine particles in the water. If I read this text correctly it doesn't cost extra energy but filters as a byproduct of energy generation, and other wording implies it avoids issues of microclogging and requiring replacement (otherwise that wouldn't have been mentioned as a downside of filters). I suppose that does make it a lot eco-friendlier than alternatives. The part where it only removes 24% of all microparticles means it's not going to be a complete solution however. OTOH that's 24% fewer particles to clog up later filters