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Re: Chemical Filtration



rutenber at msg_ucsf.edu wrote:
<snip>
activated carbon...
> gives the water unparalleled, crystalline clarity.
I've considerd using some of the newer polyacrylate flocculants to
achieve this. Unless I deionise my tapwater I get a faint cloudy ppt.
for a few days. Comments anyone?.
> Also, as a chemist who has used activated carbon to "clean up" many reaction > products
Another chemist here (industrial waste), we use it by the tonne <g>. Not
surprisingly I also use it in my aquaria.
<snip> 
> I have never been convinced that carbon mediates the adsorbtion of small
> charged chemicals (like Fe++).  It *may* suck up a tiny amount of EDTA which
> would result in less *available* iron, but in my experience it is not
> problematic.
Activated carbon is availiable on an industrial scale in a huge number
of brands and grades. Some are even (claimed to be) marginally useful
for sorbing heavy metals.
Remember though most folks can only buy the aquarium 'grades'. The
aquaria products tend to be coconut charcoal with poor sorbtion
qualities. Unless you replace it frequently (far too expensive) it may
as well be gravel in your filter. The best of these aquaria products are
acid-washed with phosphoric acid, residual phosphates might not help. A
prilled lab grade is another story, great if you can get it.
> My plants absolutely RAGE.  They grow so fast that I can barely...
With PMDD (lab surplus <g>) and the advice on this list I've the same
problem.
I've even started doing some homework on growth retardents. Pruning
every few
days is a chore.

I'm amazed by the no. of chemists on this list. Not so long ago Paul K.
nearly
got into the kinetics of boundary layers. I suggest anyone truly
intrested find
an electro-chem text.
> <snip>
> Earl  (who also owns a black cat!)
This alchemists familiar is also a black cat. My bucket chemistry is
done in buckets no less than 10^6 litres!.
Toado.