What Are the Functions of Filter Cartridges? Read This to Easily Understand Their Water Purification Effects!

What Are the Functions of Filter Cartridges? Read This to Easily Understand Their Water Purification Effects!

You drink water every day.

Why can some purified water be drunk directly while others still need boiling? Why does some water taste sweet and smooth while others are bland and tasteless? The truth is—the soul of a water purifier lies not in its casing, but in its filter cartridges. Different filtration methods determine the level of “cleanliness.” Different filter cartridges perform distinct tasks—some eliminate odors and chlorine, others preserve mineral balance, while some achieve molecular-level purification. The taste of a glass of purified water reveals a meticulously scientific division of labor.

Water purifier filter cartridges are crucial components for filtering healthy, safe water. What exactly do they do? How do different types of cartridges differ? How often should filter cartridges be replaced? Today, we unravel the mysteries of water purifier filter cartridges. Decoding common filter functions to eliminate replacement confusion~

PP Cotton Filter Cartridge (Recommended replacement cycle: 3-6 months)

Primary Filtration

PP Polypropylene Melt-Blown Filter Cartridge Filters out particles like silt and rust (Recommended replacement cycle: 6-12 months)

*Actual cartridge lifespan varies based on location, water quality, season, and usage. Commonly used as the primary filter in household water purification systems, it pre-treats tap water by removing silt, suspended solids, colloids, organic matter, and impurities.

The most common filter cartridge on the market is PP cotton, primarily designed to filter large particles like sand, rust, and insect eggs from water. It typically serves as the front-end filter in water purification systems, protecting downstream water treatment equipment from damage caused by impurities. This reduces wear and clogging of finer filters (such as reverse osmosis membranes), thereby extending the overall system's lifespan.

Activated Carbon Filter Cartridge (Recommended Replacement Cycle: 6-12 months)

Activated Carbon: Adsorbs odors for fresher-tasting water

Secondary Filtration

UDF Granular Activated Carbon Filter Cartridge reduces suspended particles causing discoloration and odors in water (Recommended Replacement Cycle: 6-12 months)

Tertiary Filtration

CTO compressed activated carbon filter effectively removes odors and volatile organic compounds from water (recommended replacement cycle: 6-12 months)

Actual filter lifespan varies based on location, water quality, season, usage volume, and other factors.

Activated carbon filters combine adsorption, filtration, and interception to effectively remove organic compounds and residual chlorine from water, while also decolorizing and eliminating odors.

Activated carbon is categorized into pre-activated carbon and post-activated carbon.

Pre-activated carbon adsorbs residual chlorine, achieving pre-treatment of water quality to protect the post-activated carbon filter from contamination.

Post-activated carbon performs deep treatment on pure water produced by the reverse osmosis membrane, removing volatile organic compound odors and effectively improving the taste of drinking water.

Primary Functions: Adsorbing chemical residues, eliminating odors and discoloration.

Its intricate microporous structure acts like a giant sponge, capturing residual chlorine, odors, pesticide residues, and organic pollutants from tap water.

- Effectively removes: Residual chlorine, organic compounds, pesticide residues, odors, discoloration - Principle: Utilizes activated carbon's porous structure to adsorb molecular-level contaminants - Benefits: Enhances water taste, reduces odors, alleviates burden on downstream filters Activated carbon is one of the most common water purification materials. In water pitchers, countertop purifiers, or RO systems, it often serves as the first line of defense.

It first restores tap water to its natural smell and taste before passing it to subsequent filter cartridges for deeper purification.

Activated carbon exhibits strong adsorption properties for numerous substances, primarily used to remove color, odor, residual chlorine, and alter water taste. Granular activated carbon cartridges feature simple construction and low cost but are prone to damage and carbon leakage, resulting in unstable lifespan and performance. They are commonly employed as secondary filters in various household water purification systems. Compressed activated carbon cartridges offer superior filtration capacity and extended lifespan, commonly serving as the third stage in household water purification systems. Post-filter antibacterial activated carbon cartridges incorporate trace silver ions onto activated carbon. Functioning as the final filtration stage, they remove impurities missed by prior stages or newly introduced contaminants while eliminating and inhibiting bacterial regrowth in water. This prevents secondary contamination of filtered water, ensuring safer drinking water.

3. Ceramic Filter Cartridge: Service life of six months to one year

Manufactured by shaping and high-temperature sintering of diatomaceous earth, its purification principle resembles activated carbon but offers superior filtration efficiency and extended lifespan. Its 0.1-micron pore size effectively removes sediment, rust, iron particles, and certain microorganisms like bacteria and parasites. The cartridge is easily regenerated through regular brushing and sandpaper polishing.

4. UF (Ultrafiltration Cartridge): Retains minerals while blocking bacteria. Service life: 3 years

Constructed from polypropylene hollow fibers, the membrane forms a capillary-like structure with densely packed micro-pores measuring 0.1–0.3 microns. This design filters out all bacteria and traps minute suspended particles, colloids, microparticles, bacteria, and other macromolecules in water. The filtered water is safe for direct consumption. The cartridge can be repeatedly rinsed and reused.

Primary Function: Physical filtration, mineral retention. It physically blocks impurities like bacteria, rust, and colloids while allowing beneficial minerals such as calcium and magnesium to pass through.

Filtration Precision: Approximately 0.01 microns

Intercepts: Bacteria, rust, colloids, suspended particles

- Advantages: No electricity required, no wastewater, retains minerals like calcium and magnesium.

Ultrafiltration membranes suit those with basic water filtration needs who wish to preserve natural taste.

The filtered water is cleaner while retaining natural minerals—pure yet not bland, ensuring safety while preserving the “taste of nature.”

Achieving balance between filtration precision and flow rate is key to ultrafiltration technology. BWT employs medical-grade hollow fiber ultrafiltration membranes with stable pore sizes of 0.01 microns, achieving over 99.9% bacterial removal.

Simultaneously, it retains calcium and magnesium ions, ensuring purified water is both safe and naturally mineral-enriched—ideal for tea brewing, cooking, and maternal/infant use.

RO Membrane Cartridge (Recommended Replacement Cycle: 12-24 months)

O Reverse Osmosis Membrane: Deep Purification, Meets Direct Drinking Standards

Primary Function: Deep purification, direct drinking safety

Effectively blocks nearly all impurities except water molecules.

- Filtration precision: 0.0001 microns

- Removes: Heavy metal ions, bacteria, viruses, nitrites, TDS dissolved solids

- Advantages: Thorough purification, produces water suitable for direct consumption

After high-precision purification, water achieves exceptional purity but loses some mineral elements.

To restore vitality to the water, our product line incorporates a mineral balancing filter post-RO system.

Using food-grade filter media, it releases magnesium ions to safely restore a smooth taste and active properties to the purified water. This design ensures drinking water is both pure and flavorful.

Four-Stage Filtration

RO Reverse Osmosis Filter Cartridge effectively removes organic compounds, heavy metals, and harmful substances from water (recommended replacement cycle: 12-24 months).

Actual filter lifespan varies based on location, water quality, season, and usage.

The RO membrane features an extremely fine pore size, typically one millionth the width of a human hair (0.0001 microns). It effectively traps dissolved salts, colloids, microorganisms, and other impurities, allowing only water molecules and beneficial mineral ions to pass through. This process removes 99.99% of harmful substances, delivering high-quality purified water. Manufactured from materials like cellulose acetate or aromatic polyamide, these membranes achieve pore sizes as small as 0.0001 microns. A high-pressure pump forces tap water through the membrane, causing water molecules to permeate from the higher-concentration side to the lower-concentration side. Inorganic ions, bacteria, fungi, viruses, and other contaminants cannot pass through and are instead discharged with the wastewater. These contaminants are expelled with the wastewater, effectively removing bacteria, viruses, heavy metals, pesticides, and other harmful substances to produce water safe for direct consumption.

Selecting and using water purifiers scientifically and according to your needs is essential for long-term drinking water safety.

For filter replacement, contact your dealer or purchase replacement cartridges through authorized channels.

Don't let a small filter cartridge become a “stumbling block” affecting your quality of life.

Remember to refresh your filter cartridges promptly!