Activated Carbon for Seasonal Taste and Odor Control

Geosmin, 2-methylisoborneol (MIB), and algae-derived metabolites are the hidden culprits behind consumer distrust in drinking water. While non-toxic at the low concentrations that trigger complaints, even one detectable taste-and-odor event can spark a flood of customer inquiries, media attention, and regulatory oversight.

Water utilities know the dreaded late-summer complaint all too well: “My water tastes like dirt.” The core challenge here isn’t mitigating health risks—it’s proactively managing consumer perception at scale across entire distribution systems.

The Challenge & PureStar Approach

The technical difficulty is speed.

Taste-and-odor events can develop within hours after an algal bloom or storm-driven runoff. A plant's response window is measured in hours, not days. Conventional GAC contactors, designed for months-long service life, are too slow to deploy for acute events. Yet powdered carbon, while fast, must disperse uniformly and establish adsorption equilibrium before the water reaches the first customer tap.

The PureStar Solution: A taste-and-odor response system combining rapid-dispersion PAC with predictive GAC barrier design.

• Rapid-Dispersion PAC: Our powdered grades achieve full dispersion and equilibrium within minutes of dosing, drastically shrinking the response window between laboratory detection and operational action.
• Predictive GAC Barriers: For plants in algae-prone watersheds, our seasonal GAC designs use catalytic and high-micropore grades that extend the adsorption front for geosmin and MIB specifically, reducing the frequency of emergency PAC dosing events.

The result is water that tastes like nothing—which is exactly what consumers expect.