The Varied Uses of Diatomaceous Earth Filters

It's hard to believe that the fossilized remains of single-celled plants that lived 15,000 years ago could be of use to us in today's modern world, but scientists have come up with a way to utilize the diatomaceous earth (D.E.) they created by dying in the ocean areas of their world. These remains of microscopic plants are called diatoms, and together they form a white, odorless powder which has become quite useful to mankind. Not being an inventor, it's hard to imagine how someone figured out how to make a coating out of this material which, when applied to the pressure side of filter elements creates a filter that traps many different kinds of debris, but somehow this process has come into widespread use.

D.E. makes a very good filtering material, because it is very porous. You may wonder, however, what kind of filtering diatomaceous earth filters are used for, and the answer is water. D.E. is an excellent material for filtering foreign particles out of the water supply. Although it will not disinfect the water and make it suitable for drinking, it still rids affected water sources of such things as lint, hair, dirt, protozoa, cysts, and bacteria. As you can see, these filters are very important in the water purification process which obviously needs to start somewhere. Removal of larger particulates needs to be done before other processes can tackle even finer contaminants and effectively eradicate them.

Diatomaceous earth filters make filtering out the large particles easy. Since it's made of microscopically-small particles that are hollow inside. These hollows allow very small contaminants to be trapped while the water runs on through. Due to the fact that these filters are unable to filter out colors and components that have been dissolved in the water, there are some FDA regulations about where and when the filters can be used. They are extensively used in water treatment plants and swimming pools, however, and are also very useful for filtering well water under the influence of surface water.  Among D.E.'s other advantages are the facts that there are no chemicals required in its use, and it is also much less expensive than other options that are available.