Pros and Cons of Binchotan Charcoal Sticks
Binchotan charcoal sticks are sometimes used to deodorize the air, while other times they're used as a water purification tool. Some people swear by them, while others may not see the value in their use. But like many other natural alternatives to conventional systems, these charcoal sticks do have their pros and cons.
Here are some of the pros and cons of choosing Binchotan charcoal sticks for water purification purposes.
Pro: They're eco-friendly
Unlike most water purification systems, the use of Binchotan charcoal sticks can be plastic-free. The sticks themselves have no plastic, so if you can acquire them with no plastic packaging and use a non-plastic container to hold the water, you can make your water purification a completely plastic-free process.
You can simply place the charcoal into a pitcher of water, rather than running the water through tubes and other plastic filtration apparatuses. And because charcoal is made of a renewable resource (wood), it can be relatively eco-friendly to produce. In addition, you can simply compost the sticks after use.
Con: They don't filter
While charcoal can absorb toxins, the stick shape of Binchotan charcoal sticks doesn't filter water through it. This means that the use of these charcoal sticks may not be as efficient and effective as a more typical filtration system. So if you have a serious water quality issue such as lead in your water, don't rely solely on charcoal sticks to make your water drinkable.
Pro: They're affordable
Although a Binchotan stick doesn't last forever, it may last for months, similar to a replaceable filter in a filtration system. And startup costs are low as well: with Binchotan sticks, you don't have to buy the entire filtration system, just the charcoal. So filtering with these charcoal sticks can be relatively affordable.
Con: Takes more time
A typical filtration system won't take more than a few minutes to filter your water. But these charcoal sticks, since they're less efficient, are meant to soak in the water for several hours for best results. This process allows the stick to absorb more toxins from the water. However, not everyone has that kind of time. If you want to use these sticks, you'll have to be very organized and start treating your water well in advance of when you need to drink it.
These are some of the pros and cons of using Binchotan charcoal sticks for water purification purposes. Keep in mind that water purification and water filtration aren't necessarily the same thing; in some cases, you may need one or the other, while in other cases you may need both.