Affordable, Efficient, and Simple Diatomaceous Earth Filtration
Back during WWII, a substance was needed to use as a filter for drinking water for the troops. A lot of them were finding themselves in parts on the planet where they had no access to the water they needed in view of drinking and basic sanitation. The filtering device also needed to be lightweight enough for soldiers to carry with them wherever they went. In answer to this need, the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Laboratories created a filtering system made from diatomaceous earth filters (DE) which fulfilled all of the criteria required. After the war, the assembly of DE filters continued.
So what makes diatomaceous earth work so well for filtration? To start with, it’s naturally-occurring, and there is a virtually unending supply of it available. Made up of the fossils of tiny algae called diatoms, it’s got no odor or taste. Additionally it is chemically inert which means it adds no active ingredients to drinking water along with other liquids. Chemically it’s comprised of 85% silica plus small amounts of sodium, magnesium, and iron. The tiny fossils it includes are small enough to filter out very tiny microorganisms, chemicals, as well as bacteria from water leaving it safe for people to drink.
There are two different types of DE filters available: pressure and vacuum filters. With a pressure filter there must be a pressure chamber which encloses it and also a pump or another high pressure water source along the point of inflow. Vacuum filters, on the other hand are quite inexpensive to set up and use no chemicals whatsoever. They are open to the atmosphere using a pump on their effluent sides.
Besides drinking water, DE filters are widely-used in swimming pool and fish tank filtration as well as numerous other industrial applications.
Although diatomaceous earth filters, (which are commonly found in emergency water filter), are very durable and hold up well to a lot of use, a time will still come when they will have to be replaced. All things considered, they work like they do because the small particulates in the water catch in them passing just the clean water through the filter, so eventually the filter will fill up to the point where water is unable to flow through. When this occurs some filters can be cleaned while others will have to be replaced. Fortunately, DE is inexpensive enough to be cost effective for most applications.