What is Anthracite? Carbon? MMDF? GAC?

A client visited our office and ask me these questions:

1) What is Anthracite?
2) What is carbon?
3) Why use Anthracite in MMDF?
4) Why use GAC in carbon tank?
5) What is the difference of Anthracite from Carbon?

These are concerns that he wanted to figure out because he kept on buying these items and used for in his installations but he really don’t know the real essence of what he is doing.

In Marketing parlance, there is what we call as Monkey See, Monkey do technique. If people will see that a particular business is profitable then they will put up the same business. This is the common scenario in Shawrama, Tapsilog, Lugawan, Bilyaran, Nata de Coco and even water refilling stations.

If we are to co-relate this concept, my client before was a technician from a famous water company, but had already closed down, during those times, he was just instructed by his boss to do this, fix that, install this, repair that and so on and so fort.

Since the company has closed down, he has no more job, and in order for him to survive, he took the servicing of the refilling stations that were installed by their company before.

He was able to make good in his career that is why, right now, he is the owner of a small water company with an average monthly purchase of 300k from our company.

He is well versed when it comes to installation per se since it was the very nature of his work before, however, technically and theoretically speaking, he is unfamiliar with the true nature of the systems he is dealing with.

He was taught to do a certain work and he continued doing it up to now without really knowing what he is doing.

This is a common scenario in the water industry, people employed in one company will later put up their own business that is why competition is becoming stiffer and stiffer.

If we are to analyze my client, “Monkey See, Monkey Do principle” came in two forms, one is that, the experience that he had was now adapted for his own installation style, the second one is that, the concept of the business was copied.

My emphasis is about the adoption of previous experience to the present work that led him to ask me about Anthracite and Carbon issues.

Anthracite is a coal based media intended to remove particulates from the liquid being filtered. It has a depth filtration function that is why when loaded to the media tank, the said tank is called MMDF (Multi Media Depth Filter) that has the capacity of filtering particulates from its top layer up to its bottom layer. It should be noted that depth filtration process happens from the top to the bottom layer of the Anthracite and not from the gravel, pebbles and silica sand that are incorporated in the media tank, said items are just supporting bed to prevent the Anthracite from collapsing.

Granular Activated Carbon is either wood based or coconut based media that can remove foul taste, odor, color, chlorine and other substances that are carbon based derivatives. It should be noted that only contaminants that are caused by organic substance can be removed by the Granular Activated Carbon.

Removal of contaminants is based on the Principle of Adsorption (contaminants would adhere to the surface of the granular activated carbon) as per simplicity imagine the metal and the magnet. It is very important to consider the water that will be passing through the carbon should at least have minimal particulates so that it will not affect the adsorptive property of the Granular Activated, imagine a rubber placed in between the magnet and the metal. On the other hand, Granular Activated Carbon also has the depth filtration property, so it can also do the function of the Anthracite, however when this happens, granular activated carbon would loosen its adsorptive property easily and would retain its depth filtration property. In order to maintain the efficiency of its adsorptive property, then we have to filter out the particulates first by using the Anthracite so that the Granular Activated Carbon can concentrate on its adsorptive function.

In cases where in the MMDF tanks will be loaded with Granular Activated Carbon followed by the Carbon tank also loaded with Granular Activated Carbon is an acceptable concept here in the Philippines, however in countries where Granular activated carbon is far more expensive than Anthracite, then such concept is impractical.

Just sharing my thoughts about the concept.

Address: 3453-55 V. Mapa Street

Santa Mesa, Manila 1016 Metro Manila, Philippines

Office hours: Monday - Saturday 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM 

Hotline: (02) 5679999

Website: http://shanghaioriental.com/

The Backwash of the Carbon Tank

Just want to respond to the question of Nightwing regarding the backwash of the Carbon tank. First, it is important to know that MMDF and Carbon tank operates in different principles.

MMDF is particle filtration and Carbon tank is adsorption filtration.Particle filtration involves trapping of particulates and other suspended solids while adsorption filtration involves adherence of organic contaminants and other substances that are carbon based,simulation of this concept is the relation of magnet and metallic objects,the magnet is the carbon and the metallic object is the organic contaminants.
When we talk of carbon tank, it is important to consider the absorptive property of the carbon media to ensure that said media elements is doing it’s function effectively and in doing so, outer surface of carbon granules should not be obstructed with particulates so that adsorption will be efficient,( place a wood in between the magnet and the metal object).
Usually MMDF is placed before the carbon tank, MMDF takes charge of the particulates so that carbon will not be affected with huge amount of suspended solids and can concentrate on adsorptive function(One unit complementing the other concept)
Assuming that the MMDF is functioning effectively, back washing of carbon may not be done frequently.We just co relate the theories of MMDF tank that was discussed previously.What is important is to monitor the efficiency of MMDF tank in terms of turbidity so that carbon tank will not suffer from particulate build up.

Address: 3453-55 V. Mapa Street

Santa Mesa, Manila 1016 Metro Manila, Philippines

Office hours: Monday - Saturday 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM 

Hotline: (02) 5679999

Website: http://shanghaioriental.com/

Some Wrong Beliefs About the Membrane

Since our readers right now are having ideas of the factors that affect the performance of the membrane, I just want to discuss some wrong beliefs about the membrane per se.

First, some are saying that Hydronautics membranes made in China have lesser quality than counterparts made in Japan or USA. Most of the end users had the wrong impressions of the products made in China.
We have to consider the fact that Nitto Denko, manufacturer of Hydranautics is a Japanese company, and had a manufacturing plant in Japan, USA and China.
With regards to quality, then all these plants are under the supervision of Nitto Denko so I do not see any variations when it comes to the general quality in terms of performance.
The reason for the price difference is due to freight, handling and taxes. Even labor in

China is cheaper, so the cost of China made Hydranautics membranes are really cheaper compared to USA and Japanese made.
When we talk of quality, regardless of its point of origin, should be the same.
Second, Filmtech membranes on the other hand are all manufactured in USA except for HRLE which is made in China, but DOW, the manufacturer of Filmtech have plans of transferring their production in China.
Third, CSM membranes are all made in Korea, when talking of technologies, they are far more superior to ours, and CSM brands have gained reputations in the world market.
Fourth, Osmonics membranes are also US brand but I do not know if they already have the manufacturing plant here in ASIA, I am not familiar with operations of GE when it comes to their production sites.
Fifth, other brands not mentioned, as long as they have the test protocol written in the brochure to prove their claims, then we can conclude that qualities are competitive.
The point is that, regardless of any membrane brands, as long as you know its characteristics and applications and as long as the system design is right then, we can say that all membranes would function according to its purpose.
Sad to say, nowadays, most of the membrane failures are believed to cause by its poor quality. Although we cannot discount the fact that there are some factory defects issue, but that would be ruled out upon assessment of the systems design and membrane performance.
I just hope that someday, all concerned will all be enlightened with the right concepts of filtration and purification.

Address: 3453-55 V. Mapa Street

Santa Mesa, Manila 1016 Metro Manila, Philippines

Office hours: Monday - Saturday 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM 

Hotline: (02) 5679999

Website: http://shanghaioriental.com/

Membrane Warranty Issue

A client called me up complaining about the membrane that he bought from us more than a month ago. According to him, after a month of operation, the said membrane clogged up and he told me that membrane is fake because it did not last long. He even commented that he tried almost all the brands but all of them are not of good quality and that lead him to his conclusion that a lot of membrane nowadays are not the genuine one.

During our entire conversation, he did not mention anything about the configuration of his system and it’s condition,even the quality of his feed water was never considered.

If you try to analyze his concern, it seems that all the failures were attributed to the membrane alone, it was really a one sided story as if ,he was able to perfect the art of membrane technology and have zeroed out the culprit which is,the membrane.

I asked him basic details about his system and the quality of his feed water but he knew nothing about it.

I asked for his technician to discuss about the issue, but still, he was very surprise to my inquiries. The client is totally relying on the technician who knew nothing at all about the principle of reverse osmosis and yet both of them claimed that it was the membrane failure.
“If a blind leads a blind, both will fall into the ditch.”

As for membrane warranty, technically, suppliers will always deny it, not unless we were able to present pertinent data that would prove that, it is really the membrane failure, in legal parlance, you have to prove it beyond reasonable doubt,however based on our practice, no one in the commercial market is monitoring and recording such data, so, the warranty that we are discussing is just part of our imagination.

There are so many factors that could affect the membrane,we should always evaluate all the possible cause so that we can prolong the membrane’s service life.

On the case of my client, no warranty will ever be considered, due to obvious reason and failure started one month after it’s installation, it can be assumed that membrane’s performance could have been affected by undetermined factor.

Always asked your technician or installer about system and feed water monitoring,based on my experience,it is not the factory defect, it is the technician’s defect.

Always be sure of the technician or company that you are dealing with.

Address: 3453-55 V. Mapa Street

Santa Mesa, Manila 1016 Metro Manila, Philippines

Office hours: Monday - Saturday 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM 

Hotline: (02) 5679999

Website: http://shanghaioriental.com/

Shanghai Oriental Corporate Video 2015

Membrane Troubleshooting

Just want to share my experiences about membrane troubleshooting. Every time clients are complaining to me about the issue of low production upon installation of the new membrane, I always tell them that we have to test the membrane to confirm the issue. If clients are saying that it is a factory defect, upon testing the membrane, I will rule out that it is not factory defect but Customer’s Defect or Technician’s Defect.

What do I mean by this? First of all you have to understand that Reverse Osmosis is a technical concept and for you to fully understand the system, you have to know the Principle of Reverse Osmosis.

If someone will be saying that they know how to install the membrane but does not understand the concept, then that is where the problem always lies.

First every membrane has its own test protocol according to its applied pressure, production, NACL and recovery rate. When we talk of NACL, we are talking of the osmotic pressure, if someone will say they don’t know this but have installed so many membranes, do you think that guy is credible and competent enough to discuss issues about membrane trouble shooting.

Second, membrane production depends on feed pressure and flowrate. If you ask them what is the feed flowrate and they do not know the capacity of the pump head or the performance curve of the vertical motor that they are using? Patay na!

How about the capacity of the feed pump? Is it capable enough to sustain the requirement of the RO module? What is the assumptive delivery volume of the said pump once it reaches the pump head?

These are just some of the things to consider when designing a system or doing the membrane troubleshooting.

The membrane is the most sensitive part of the basic systems that we are selling (WRS Set-up) any deviation from the technical design would affect its performance.

The main issue is what part of the system is contributory to the failure of the membrane. That is where troubleshooting comes in. Sabi ko nga uli,”You Hit the Nail by the Head”. Others are doing the “Guessing Game” or others will be doing it their own way, sabi nga may sariling concept, habang gumagawa nga sila kumakanta pa ng “MY WAY ni Paul Anka”

I am telling you all of these not to offend others doing their livelihood but to inform them the need to enrich their knowledge so that they can became useful and not damaging to the Water Industry.

For me, I never stop reading water treatment articles and I even ask my friends if I have doubts on certain issues. I am not saying na sobrang galing ko, in fact marami pa ko di alam and how I wish na mas marami akong ma meet na tao na magagaling sa Water Treatment para lalo pa ko matuto.

I just try to see that what I am doing is within the bounds of water filtration and purification concept.

Address: 3453-55 V. Mapa Street

Santa Mesa, Manila 1016 Metro Manila, Philippines

Office hours: Monday - Saturday 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM 

Hotline: (02) 5679999

Website: http://shanghaioriental.com/

Membrane Efficiency

A friend of mine who is also engaged in water business, asked my help about membrane efficiency.

He used the Filmtec LE 4040 to a feed water that has a TDS of 900. As per test protocol, said membrane has the following data:

NACL – 2000 ppm
Production- 2500 GPD
Applied pressure- 150 psi
permeate flux- +/- 20%
recovery- 15%
efficiency- 99%

He told his client that once the membrane is used, product TDS will be 5 to 10 ppm.However when the membrane was installed,it yielded a product TDS of 25 ppm.

His client reacted and commented that there is something wrong with the membrane because it did not give the expected result.

The membrane was bought to a supplier here in Manila and when he discussed the issue,the supplier told him that maybe there is a problem with the system that is why it has a high product TDS.

As I have reiterated before,most of the times, we are dealing with the membranes blindly.

The test protocol of membranes will not confirm it’s general performance. Results obtained from the protocol were established on a certain test conditions,so it does not mean that if we use it here,we can obtain same results as that of the protocol.

As a general rule for membranes,we have to assume the 95% efficiency,so if raw TDS is 900,then product TDS will be 45.

Basing on the TDS results obtained w/c is 25 ppm,it is assumed that membrane is at more than 95% efficiency,97.22% efficiency to be exact.

So now,where is the problem? Actually there is no problem but we are the one’s creating our own problem,to assume that LE membrane will perform 99% efficiency as per test protocol without considering the test conditions will be a no!! no!!.

LE was able to achieve the 99% efficiency because recovery is just 15%,so that means, 85% is reject water,now in our application, where in we usually apply 40% recovery and 60% reject,do you think we can have the same results?

15/85 ratio would require a higher feed water volume than 40/60 ratio based on the same production volume in a given day.

One of the principles of reverse osmosis is, “the higher the concentrate flow (reject) the higher the salt rejection(efficiency)”.

Just a basic tip,the next time you sell the membrane,consider this concept and you will not be having problems with your clients.

Address: 3453-55 V. Mapa Street

Santa Mesa, Manila 1016 Metro Manila, Philippines

Office hours: Monday - Saturday 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM 

Hotline: (02) 5679999

Website: http://shanghaioriental.com/

The Details of Back Washing for MMDF Tank

After discussing to you the details of regeneration for water softener, a client who read this blog called me up and ask me about the details of back washing for MMDF tank.

So, I again asked him what was the instruction to him by the company that installed his system?, he told me that it’s every other day in order to insure that media tanks are always clean.
Here is a comparative analogy, MMDF tank is the same as the sediment filter (cartridge type), and they have the same function which is to trap particulates or suspended solids from the water. If you use the cartridge type, you will just wait for the cartridge to clog up before you replace it with new one. From the time you place the cartridge until the time it clogs up, it would take so many days (depending on the size of the cartridge, volume of water and level of suspended solids from the water), and once it clogs up then that is the time to replace the cartridge.
If you are using the MMDF (tank type/back washable),once there is a clogging, then that is the time to backwash, considering the length of time before the MMDF tank clogs up would definitely be longer than the cartridge type.
I do not see any reason why we should back wash the MMDF every other day just to insure that filter is clean because it is designed to trap particulates and the accumulation of particulates to the surface of the media elements would even increase the filtration efficiency of the media tank( Principles of the Brownian Motion).
The reason for back washing is slow flow rate due to clogging and not because it is dirty, you cannot expect a floor map to be clean because its purpose is to wipe out dirt from the floor.
If you use a cartridge type filter and tank type filter, both will function effectively and the only difference is the service life, so what is the logic of frequent back washing?
The purpose of frequent back washing is to prevent ‘channeling’, as water enters the media tank it flows down to the center portion of the media elements, just beside the riser tube, thus creating a deep mark on the layer of the media elements and as the process continues, mark will become deeper and deeper decreasing the bed height of the media elements at the center portion and will result to the uneven performance of the media in terms of efficiency.
During the back washing, media elements will be lifted up wards and as it comes down, media surface becomes even thus improving the filtration efficiency of the media tank.
Hoping that this concept will clarify the back washing issues of MMDF tank so as not to create false belief about the importance of back washing.
Sad to say, not all WRS are advised properly that is why most are operating their systems blindly.

Address: 3453-55 V. Mapa Street

Santa Mesa, Manila 1016 Metro Manila, Philippines

Office hours: Monday - Saturday 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM 

Hotline: (02) 5679999

Website: http://shanghaioriental.com/

The Concept of Multi Media Depth Filter (MMDF)

Recently, I had an argument with a certain technician claiming that he had been doing the installation for more than 15 years.

The topic revolves around the concept of Multi Media Depth Filter (MMDF)
According to him, it is composed of garnet, pebbles, silica sand, manganese green sand and so on and so port.
He even pointed out that filtration happens from the top layer up to the bottom layer of the media elements he mentioned that is why it called Depth Filtration.
So, all the media elements that he mentioned are all doing the filtration process one at a time or by stages as commonly understood.
He was very

confident of his FORMULA in loading the media elements and even told me that the water tastes different once his FORMULA was used.
For 15 years, he had been using this TRIED and TESTED FORMULA of HIS.
As Behavioral Science graduate, it has always been my discipline that for every concept, there should always be a theoretical and conceptual background of a certain ideas to be discussed.
Sabi nga sa amin sa Batangas, eh nasaan ga ang proven? Sabi nga ng mga Pastor, saan talata sa bibliya nasusulat?
What I am trying to say is that, it does not matter how many years have you been doing it, the things that matters most is, are you doing it the right way?
Now we go to my rebuttal, First, all the media elements that was mentioned are not capable of depth filtration, the silica sand is just for surface filtration and is considered to be one of the supporting beds.
Second, manganese green sand is an oxidizing media element used for removing iron, manganese and sulfur. It has a different application and not considered as part of the Multi Media Depth Filter Tank.
Third, garnet, pebbles and gravel are also supporting bed and has nothing to do with depth filtration.
When it comes to cartridge, depth filtration happens if the cartridge can trap particulates starting from the outer to the inner surface as per Principle of Mechanism of Travel and Mechanism of Catch in conjunction with the Brownian Motion Principle (filtration efficiency increases as filters start to clog but decreased flow rate).
Talking of tank types filter (MMDF),filtration happens from the top surface to the bottom surface of the major filter media which is for MMDF application is the Anthracite coal,although GAC is also considered for depth filtration,however for purposes of simplicity,we just focuss on the Anthracite Coal
It is the Anthracite coal that does the depth filtration and not the gravel, sand, pebbles, manganese, garnet or others being used in order to show that the more layers would mean efficiency of filtration.
These mentioned media elements are just supporting beds (excluding manganese) to prevent the major filter media from collapsing and during the backwash mode, it provides a greater velocity so that particulates can be pushed up going to the drain.
However, this will only happen if, media elements are layered properly,
Now, after discussing to you these issues, it is up to you guys to evaluate the argument and see for yourself which is the right concept.
As I have mentioned, it is a matter of right concept, all of us in the water industry should always have the initiative of harnessing our skills through self study, experience in line with theoretical concept,
That is why, from time to time I share to all of you my views and comments on certain topics that I have learned, not to impress you but for information purposes and if you think that I have overlooked something or have discussed the wrong concept, you always have the right to refute and I will appreciate it very much since it will increase my knowledge. It is always a healthy exchange of ideas and we should always be open for constructive criticism in order for us to grow.
Telling me that it has been his experience for many years without any technical and theoretical basis is unacceptable fact for me.
How I wish that all of us can work hand on hand in informing the public the right concept.

Address: 3453-55 V. Mapa Street

Santa Mesa, Manila 1016 Metro Manila, Philippines

Office hours: Monday - Saturday 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM 

Hotline: (02) 5679999

Website: http://shanghaioriental.com/

Fallacies on the number of stages (Part 2)

As per concept presented in Part 1, now comes my personal evaluation and interpretation.

The “longer the stages the cleaner the water concept” is a marketing style wherein it tries to present to the public that water can reached it’s highest purification level as it passes through the series or stages of filtration. This was the concept that was imprinted in the minds of the consumers and even water station owners. In broadcasting business, there is what we call, “responsible journalism”, I hope someday, we can have a sort of responsible marketing in the water business. We should be informing the public the right information so that our technology will improve and grow. We should not be living in false concept and beliefs. When we talk of “QUALITY water” for drinking application, we should consider its physico-chemical properties, bacteriological aspects (pathogenic) and now DOH are considering the heterotrophic platelet count (HPC). The moment water quality satisfies the parameters mentioned above, and then water is of drinking standard regardless of the number of stages. The logic is that, number of stages does not guarantee the quality of drinking water, what matters most, is the accuracy of treatment used in a given quality of raw water. Whether it is 2, 3 or 4, etc., as long as the system will be capable of producing drinking quality water, then there is no issue on the no. of stages. In fact, if you are to refer on the Implementing Rules and Regulations of BFAD (IRR) Section 3 paragraph 3,Drinking water is defined as, WATER OBTAINED FROM AN APPROVED SOURCE THAT HAS UNDERGONE MINIMUM TREATMENT CONSISTING OF FILTRATION(ACTIVATED CARBON OR PARTICULATE) AND OZONATION OR EQUIVALENT DISINFECTION PROCESS. Even BFAD and DOH never mentioned of the no. of stages, so why are we stressing a certain concept that is non-existent? It is for you readers to decide if the concepts that I have discussed can be considered or not.

Address: 3453-55 V. Mapa Street

Santa Mesa, Manila 1016 Metro Manila, Philippines

Office hours: Monday - Saturday 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM 

Hotline: (02) 5679999

Website: http://shanghaioriental.com/

Fallacies on the Number of Stages (Part 1)

Nowadays, the belief is that, “the longer the stages the cleaner the water”. So many set ups were being advertised with the highlights of the number of stages.14, 16, 18, 21, 23, 26, 29 etc.

Question is that, are the number of stages would guarantee you, to have the safest drinking water?

Allow me to present the basic units used in a typical water treatment design for water station.

1) Multi-media depth filter (MMDF) – Fiber reinforced plastic (FRP) tank with either automatic, manual or semi-automatic valve with media elements inside. This unit is used to trap particulates or suspended solids from the water through depth filtration. When we talk of depth filtration, it means that filtration happens from top to the bottom of the major filter media which is the Anthracite Coal probably 1 ft3.

Volumes for 1054 tank size and below it are layers of sand and gravel that acts as a supporting bed to prevent the major filter media from collapsing. It can either be 3, 4 or seven layers depending on the designer’s desired height. Let us say we settle for 3 layers supporting bed and Anthracite coal on top, we will be having 4 layers for the MMDF unit. We have 4 layers but function is one.

Trapping of particulates but it is projected as four stages. We have to establish that when we talk of stages, it refers to the gradual enhancement of water in terms of quality as it passes through the said stages. Now talking of MMDF, how many enhancements do the water undergoes? Four stage enhancement or just one? So is it right to say 4 stages or 4 layers single stage?

2) Carbon tank- same concept as the MMDF but the difference is the major filter media, Granular Activated Carbon is used as top layer. Some are saying that there are layers of bituminous carbon, lignite carbon and granular activated carbon but actually functions of bituminous and lignite are the features of Granular Activated Carbon (GAC) sabi nga same banana.

It is designed to remove foul taste, odor, color caused by organic contaminants and any carbon based substance or derivatives. Again it has 4 layers, so how many stages does a carbon tank have? Four or one?

3) Water Softener Tank- same concept as that of MMDF and Carbon Tank but again the difference is the major filter media which is the Resin (Cation resin for calcium, magnesium and iron adsorption) Designed to remove hardness from the water.

So again it has 4 layers but single function which is to convert hard water into soft water by removing calcium and magnesium from the water via ion exchange process(next time I will be discussing the concept of ion exchange).So again, how many stages does a water softener tank has? Four or one?

4) RO sediment pre-filter- you can use 5 micron and 1 micron or just 5 micron sediment filter. However some are using 20,10,5 and 1 micron .We assumed that we will be using 5 and 1 micron sediment filter. So for this segment we use 2 stages.

5) Reverse Osmosis system-Designed to remove salt and other minerals from the water. This is again one stage.

6) Polishing carbon- .We can use either one or two carbon block filters. For our discussion, we use 2 carbon blocks so that means to say, we have 2 stages of polishing carbon. The first carbon block is intended to remove organic contaminants that the water might have while inside the product tank and the second carbon is for further enhancement in terms of taste and appearance.

7) Ultra Violet Sterilizer-eliminates disease causing micro-organisms by emitting ultra violet rays while water is passing through the reaction chamber. This is again a single stage process.

Here is the summary:

MMDF – 1 stage
Carbon Tank- 1 stage
Water Softener- 1 stage
RO pre filter- 2 stages
RO- 1 stage
Polishing carbon- 2 stages
UV- 1 stage

Total number of stages: 9 stages

Next time, I will be discussing the analysis and interpretation of the concept presented.

Address: 3453-55 V. Mapa Street

Santa Mesa, Manila 1016 Metro Manila, Philippines

Office hours: Monday - Saturday 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM 

Hotline: (02) 5679999

Website: http://shanghaioriental.com/