#NoFilter? Evaluating Portable Water Filters for Removal of Inorganic Contaminants
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Authors
Herman, Baylee
Date of Issue
2025-04-25
Type
Presentation
Language
en_US
Subject Keywords
Other Titles
Portable water filter characterization of inorganic material #NoFilter
Abstract
Portable consumer water filtration systems are primarily marketed for bacterial removal, but their efficacy in reducing metal contaminants remains largely untested. Given Montana’s history of metal contamination in water systems due to acid mine drainage, this study evaluates the effectiveness of different portable filtration technologies—including hollow fiber microfiltration, hollow fiber ultrafiltration, and activated carbon with ion exchange resin —in removing inorganic metal contaminants. Reverse osmosis filtration was initially tested but was discontinued due to excessive water waste, which limited its practicality. Filtered and unfiltered water samples were analyzed using inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectroscopy (ICP-OES) and ion selective electrodes (ISE) to quantify removal of inorganic ions. Results indicate that the activated carbon filter achieved an average metal removal efficiency of 52%, compared to less than 20% removal by the hollow fiber filters. Notably, the activated carbon filter removed over 80% of aluminum, copper, lead, and barium contaminants, demonstrating superior performance in metal reduction. These findings provide critical insights into the effectiveness of commercial water filters for mitigating metal contamination, emphasizing the need for informed consumer choices in regions affected by mining-related water pollution.