Activated Filter Material
AFM® 1 filters without flocculation down to 1μ at a velocity of 20m/hr. It retains at least 30 % more organic substances than fresh sand or glass media. In chlorinated systems with optimised coagulation and flocculation with APF and ZPM, a nominal filtration of 0.1 micron will be achieved.
AFM® is bioresistant, it offers no home for bacteria, viruses and other pathogens.
The independent testing laboratory IFTS (Institute of Filtration and Techniques of Separation) tested different glass filter media and sand and approved AFM® to be the best available filter material on the market. In addition, AFM® is NSF/ANSI 50, NSF/ANSI/CAN 61 certified by WQA and therefore approved for swimming pools and drinking water applications.
Sand is a good mechanical filter but also provides a perfect support for bacterial growth as every grain of sand is colonised by bacteria within a few days. Mechanical filtration is compromised by bacterial nitrification that consumes oxygen from the water, depresses the pH and causes anaerobic coagulation of the sand. Clogging causes channeling of the bed and sporadic release of filtered material and undesireable pathology into the process water.
AFM® is not compromised by bacterial growth and provides stable sub 5μ filtration for reliable mechanical filtration and evacuation, even of Cryptocaryon oocysts, in backwash.
No bacteria means no biofilm in the AFM® filter and no channel formation to disrupt the filter function. The performance of AFM® remains consistently high for 10 - 15 years.