Chamberland filter

A Chamberland filter, also known as a Pasteur-Chamberland filter, is a porcelain water filter invented by Charles Chamberland in 1884.^[1] It is similar to the Berkefeld filter in principle.

Design

Schematic diagram of a Chamberland filter

It consists of an unglazed porcelain tube that contains a ring of enameled porcelain through which the inflow pipe fits. The core of the porcelain is made up of a metal pipe with holes through which water flows out and is collected. Inflow is pressurized so filtration occurs under force.

Types

There are 13 types in general: L₁ to L₁₃.
L₁ filters have the coarsest pore size while L₁₃ have the finest.

Usefulness

It is as useful as other ceramic and porcelain filters. It is a good bacterial water filter used mainly as a high volume water filter.^[2][3] The filter works more quickly when the water supplied is under pressure. As other filters of its kind, it cannot filter very small particles like viruses or mycoplasma. It is used in removal of organisms from a fluid culture in order to obtain the bacterial toxins.

References

1. ^ Horzinek MC (1997). "The birth of virology". Antonie van Leeuwenhoek 71 (1/2): 15–20. doi:10.1023/A:1000197505492. PMID 9049014. 
2. ^ Textbook of Microbiology by Prof. C P Baveja, ISBN 81-7855-266-3
3. ^ Textbook of Microbiology by Ananthanarayan and Panikar, ISBN 81-250-2808-0