The "weight" secret of activated carbon filter: the heavier the better?

Many consumers often use weight as a criterion for choosing activated carbon filter elements, believing that the heavier the better. This view is reasonable, but not entirely correct. The weight of the activated carbon filter element does reflect the amount of material used, but what really determines the purification effect is the quality and structure of the activated carbon.

The weight of the activated carbon filter element mainly comes from the activated carbon itself and the supporting structure. High-quality activated carbon should have well-developed pores and a large specific surface area, so that such a structure can effectively adsorb pollutants. Simply increasing the weight without considering the pore structure of the activated carbon may reduce the purification efficiency. For example, some inferior products will add fillers such as clay to increase the weight. These materials not only have no adsorption capacity, but also block the pores of the activated carbon.

The key indicators for judging the quality of activated carbon filters are iodine value and carbon tetrachloride adsorption rate, which can truly reflect its adsorption capacity. Even if the weight of high-quality coconut shell activated carbon is light, its purification effect may far exceed that of heavier ordinary activated carbon. In addition, different usage scenarios have different requirements for weight. Car filters need to be lightweight, while industrial filters need to consider a larger adsorption capacity.

When purchasing, you can make a preliminary judgment through a simple method: shake the filter and listen to the sound. High-quality activated carbon will make a crisp "rustling" sound; put it in water and observe. Good activated carbon will produce dense bubbles. Remember, weight is only one of the reference factors. The focus is still on the actual performance parameters of activated carbon.