Technology comparison
| Technology | Primary purpose | Flow / pressure | Waste / power / consumables | Common requirements and limits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sediment screen | Coarse debris protection | Low when clean; rises with blockage | Cleaning or purge | Does not remove dissolved chemicals or establish microbial safety. |
| Cartridge filter | Defined particle-size polishing | Pressure drop rises toward replacement | Spent cartridges | Claim depends on media/pore rating; not every cartridge removes germs or chemicals. |
| Media filter | Particle, turbidity or media-specific treatment | Area and loading govern service flow | Backwash, media replacement | Requires media-specific loading, bed depth and water chemistry. |
| Activated carbon | Selected chlorine, taste, odor or organic reduction | Contact time and pressure drop matter | Media replacement/backwash | Can exhaust and can remove protective residual; use certified contaminant claims. |
| Oxidation | Convert selected dissolved species for removal | May need mixing/contact and downstream filtration | Chemical or energy, residuals | pH, dose, contact and by-products are source-specific. |
| Softener | Exchange hardness ions | Check peak service flow and pressure loss | Salt, regeneration water/brine | Not a pathogen barrier; actual capacity depends on salt setting and feed quality. |
| Iron/manganese media | Media-specific metal removal | Loading and backwash govern sizing | Backwash, oxidant/media as applicable | Oxidation state, pH and competing constituents matter. |
| Reverse osmosis | Membrane separation of selected dissolved constituents | Production can be slow; pressure and storage matter | Reject water, cartridges, membrane, power as applicable | Pretreatment, recovery and exact certified claims are essential. |
| Ultraviolet | Inactivate susceptible microorganisms | Rated flow and UV transmittance matter | Electricity, lamp/sleeve service | Needs validated dose and pretreatment; no dissolved-chemical removal or residual. |
| Chlorination | Chemical disinfection and possible residual | Needs mixing, contact and monitoring | Chemical handling, residual/by-products | Dose and CT depend on source, organism, pH, temperature and regulation. |
| Storage / recirculation | Buffer production and peaks | Changes pump duty and turnover | Cleaning, energy and monitoring | Can create stagnation or recontamination; not treatment by itself. |
How to use the matrix
Start with the tested problem and intended use, remove technologies without an applicable objective, check upstream protection and downstream monitoring, then compare service flow, pressure loss, waste and maintenance. Use the longer comparison guide for scenarios and ordering decisions.
Reference boundary. Do not convert an indicative value into a universal design, health or legal requirement. Check the cited source, laboratory context, certified claim and applicable jurisdiction.
Sources
- U.S. CDC — About Home Water Treatment Systems
- NSF — Standards for Water Treatment Systems
- NSF — Official Drinking Water Treatment Unit Listings
- U.S. EPA — Drinking Water Technologies