ABSTRACT
The treatment of water at the point of use (POU) has increased many fold during the last ten years to meet the real and perceived needs of the consumers in this country. The treatment of drinking water only with a separate faucet was judged to be lower in cost than central treatment in all sizes of communities when considering four of the six processes: reverse osmosis, cation exchange, direct filtration and granular activated carbon filtration. POU units include softeners to remove hardness, adsorption filters for the removal of dissolved organics, particulate filters for removing turbidity, cysts, and asbestos fibers, and reverse osmosis-activated carbon systems to remove dissolved minerals along with the contaminants. POU products designed for particulate removal vary widely in their effectiveness due to the fact that different applications, including industrial and commercial needs, require different efficiencies and life capabilities.
