Carbon Filtration Research Articles

Research on operation characteristics of wind supercharged solar chimney dust haze removal street light

To realize distributed dust haze removal in street canyons, an innovative wind supercharged solar chimney dust haze removal street light is proposed. The design couples solar chimney technology with municipal street lighting, utilizing thermal pressure, chimney effect and wind supercharged wheel to power the system, which achieves the dual function of lighting and dust haze removal. Operational testing on a small-scale model showed: the airflow warms up the most in the inlet area, and the model creates updrafts with a dust haze removal effect. The filtration system consists of various filter screens arranged by descending filtration efficiency: HEPA, primary filter cotton, activated carbon and nylon filter screens, with airflow velocity in the flow runner in the opposite order. The average filtration efficiency is positively correlated with the pressure drop and negatively correlated with the overflow airflow. A combination of different material filter screens is more effective than simply increasing the thickness of a single filter screen. A single layer of 10 mm primary filter cotton has the highest total mass flow of clean air, reaching 4.18 g. HEPA has the highest average filtration efficiency at 93.1 %. This innovative approach offers an efficient solution for urban air purification while maintaining street lighting functionality.

Comparison of cooling tower blowdown and enhanced make up water treatment to minimize cooling water footprint

When water supply restrictions increasingly escalate to water supply risks, developing strategies to minimize the water footprint of wet cooling systems becomes crucial. This study compares two water engineering approaches to minimize the water footprint of a recirculating evaporative cooling tower (CT): (1) reusing cooling tower blowdown and (2) producing demineralized water to increase the cycles of concentration (CoC) of the CT.Our techno-economic analysis across various scenarios and CT settings reveals that reusing blowdown (option 1) is the most feasible approach for an industrial cooling system currently operating at CoCs of > 3, discharging blowdown with a conductivity of 2 mS/cm and a total organic carbon (TOC) concentration of approximately 20 mg/L. Compared to enhanced make up treatment, blowdown reuse allows higher water savings (13 %) and involves lower implementation and operation costs.Pilot scale trials validated the feasibility of both approaches. Blowdown and enhanced make up treatment included biologically activated carbon filtration, ultrafiltration and reverse osmosis, producing high-quality permeate, suitable for (re)use as CT make up or within other processes. The blowdown treatment reached a product quality of 80 μS/cm conductivity and 70 μg/L TOC, make up treatment 20 μS/cm in conductivity and 60 μg/L TOC, respectively.The study's findings underscore the viability of blowdown reuse as a cost-effective and efficient strategy to minimize the water footprint of cooling systems under increasing water scarcity conditions.

Solar powered membrane bioreactor (MBR) treating wastewater for reuse at a hospital in Kampala, Uganda – Results of pilot-scale trials

A robust and cost-effective pilot solar-powered membrane bioreactor (MBR) with downstream granular activated carbon (GAC) filter hospital wastewater treatment was developed for the Lubaga hospital in Kampala, Uganda. The MBR-GAC pilot included a 25 m2 ultrafiltration (UF) module, a 100 kg GAC filter, 20 photovoltaic panels totaling 7 kWp and a 3.55 kWh supercapacitor energy storage unit to produce non-potable and reusable water for toilet flushing, cleaning and irrigation. The pilot operated with 43% clean energy autonomy with grid and diesel generator backup for power outages of more than 1 hour. The MBR pilot produced an average flux of 10–15 L m–2 h–1 with 50% total organic carbon (TOC) removal. The nitrification, denitrification and filtration tanks were separated to achieve a nitrification of 80% and denitrification of 20%. The removal of typical hospital pharmaceutical residues that could not be reduced by the MBR increased to approximately 90% after the downstream GAC filter was upgraded. The removal efficiency of the GAC decreased to approximately 25% at 4,290 bed volume (BV). The significant increase of 75% in the removal efficiency of diclofenac in the MBR was attributed to the acclimation of the activated sludge. The quality of the treated wastewater from the pilot plant was sufficient for reuse by irrigation of the hospital garden, toilet flushing and cleaning. Finally, the study discussed ways to optimize the design and operation of the plant. The pilot is scalable to be replicated elsewhere and adapted in an efficient and cost-effective manner in sub-Saharan countries in Africa.

Relating microbial community composition to treatment performance in an ozone-biologically active carbon filtration potable reuse treatment train

Treatment trains that couple ozone (O3) with biologically active carbon (BAC) filtration are of interest as a lower cost, more sustainable, membrane-free approach to water reuse. However, little is known about the microbial communities that are the fundamental drivers of O3-BAC treatment. The objective of this study was to demonstrate microbial community profiling as a diagnostic tool for assessing the functionality, biological stability, and resilience of coupled physical, chemical, advanced oxidative and biological processes employed in water reuse treatment. We utilized 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing to profile the bacterial microbiota over time throughout a potable reuse train employing coagulation, flocculation, sedimentation, ozonation, BAC filtration, granular activated carbon (GAC) adsorption, and UV disinfection. A distinct baseline microbiota was associated with each stage of treatment (ANOSIM, p < 0.05, r-stat = 0.52), each undergoing succession with time and operational shifts. Ozonation resulted in the sharpest shifts (i.e., 83.3 % average change in Genus level relative abundances, when adjusted O3:TOC ratio > 1), and also variance, in microbial community composition. Adjustment in O3:TOC ratios, temperature, filter-aid polymer, monochloramine quenching agent, and empty-bed contact time also resulted in measurable changes in the baseline microbial community composition of individual processes, but to a lesser degree. Of these, supplementation of nitrogen and phosphorus resulted in the strongest bifurcation, especially in the microbial communities inhabiting the BAC (ANOSIM: p < 0.05, BAC5 r-stat = 0.32; BAC10 r-stat = 0.54) and GAC (ANOSIM: p < 0.05, GAC10 r-stat = 0.54; GAC20 r-stat = 0.63) units. Additionally, we found that the BAC microbial community was responsive to an inoculation of microbially active media, which resulted in improved TOC removal. The findings of this study improve understanding of bacterial dynamics occurring in advanced water treatment trains and can inform improved system design and operation.

Enhancing indoor air quality: Examination of formaldehyde adsorption efficiency of portable air cleaner fitted with chemically-treated activated carbon filters

The pursuit of salubrious living environments necessitates a holistic approach to assuring indoor air quality. This entails considering not only particulate matter but also gaseous pollutants, particularly formaldehyde – a carcinogenic and prevalent pollutant in household environment. In addressing the persistent challenge in balancing efficiency, operating costs and environmental impact in formaldehyde removal, our study pioneers to empirically explore and compare the relationship between Carbon Tetrachloride Activity (CTC), Clean Air Delivery Rate (CADR), and Cumulate Clean Mass (CCM) in the context of formaldehyde adsorption, using both raw and 2-Imidazolidone-treated activated carbon (AC) filters fitted in a Portable Air Cleaner (PAC). Our experimental results show that the formaldehyde CADRs of an air cleaner with chemically-treated CTC70 and CTC100 filters were about 251 m3/h and 286 m3/h respectively, representing an increase of 1.52 and 2.5 times over untreated filters, with the treated CTC100 AC filters outperforming the CTC70 filters by approximately 12 percent under new condition. While the precise mechanisms by which 2-Imidazolidone enhances the performance of AC filters are still unknown, these findings provide an first-of-its-kind directive for future research on the interplay among the parameters (CTC, CADR and CCM) of PACs, casting a foundation for further investigations that aim at optimizing the performance of AC filters, thereby making significant strides in the enhancement of indoor air quality.

Innovative electroscrubbing process for biogas impurity removal

A new biogas cleaning technology was tested at the Hashøj Biogas facility in Denmark. The new technology is a PtX process which consumes only electricity to clean the biogas. The process was capable of removing a wide variety of sulfur components, most notably hydrogen sulfide and mercaptans. Additionally, a variety of volatile organic compounds (VOC) such as terpenes and benzenes were removed.Overall, the process was found to remove 99.96 % of sulfur species in the biogas alongside 94.77 % of the measured VOC. With a polishing step the biogas will be ready for use either as a substitute for natural gas, or for PtX upgrading into e.g. methanol.The purity of the hydrogen produced by the setup was found to be 98.75 %. With the implementation of a small carbon filter, it could be possible to utilize the hydrogen in either fuel cells or for gas-to-liquid purposes.

Distinguishing between Wheat Grains Infested by Four Fusarium Species by Measuring with a Low-Cost Electronic Nose.

An electronic device based on the detection of volatile substances was developed in response to the need to distinguish between fungal infestations in food and was applied to wheat grains. The most common pathogens belong to the fungi of the genus Fusarium: F. avenaceum, F. langsethiae, F. poae, and F. sporotrichioides. The electronic nose prototype is a low-cost device based on commercially available TGS series sensors from Figaro Corp. Two types of gas sensors that respond to the perturbation are used to collect signals useful for discriminating between the samples under study. First, an electronic nose detects the transient response of the sensors to a change in operating conditions from clean air to the presence of the gas being measured. A simple gas chamber was used to create a sudden change in gas composition near the sensors. An inexpensive pneumatic system consisting of a pump and a carbon filter was used to supply the system with clean air. It was also used to clean the sensors between measurement cycles. The second function of the electronic nose is to detect the response of the sensor to temperature disturbances of the sensor heater in the presence of the gas to be measured. It has been shown that features extracted from the transient response of the sensor to perturbations by modulating the temperature of the sensor heater resulted in better classification performance than when the machine learning model was built from features extracted from the response of the sensor in the gas adsorption phase. By combining features from both phases of the sensor response, a further improvement in classification performance was achieved. The E-nose enabled the differentiation of F. poae from the other fungal species tested with excellent performance. The overall classification rate using the Support Vector Machine model reached 70 per cent between the four fungal categories tested.

Evaluation of three granular activated carbon filters for the treatment of collections foul air entering a water resource recovery facility.

The treatment of raw foul air that could escape to the atmosphere from the head space of the incoming wastewater sewer lines into a Southern California Water Resource Recovery Facility was evaluated by using a 1/20th scale pilot unit consisting of three different granular activated carbon filter technologies, operating side by side, under similar operating conditions, each having an average 3.8-s contact time. The three activated carbon filters contained each 0.07 m3 of coconut, coal, and coconut mixed with permanganate media. The foul air entering the granular activated carbon filters contained 82% to 83% relative humidity. No moisture removal mechanism was used prior to treatment. The removal of six different odor characters from eight chemical odorants present in the foul air were assessed. These were rotten egg (hydrogen sulfide), rotten vegetables (methyl mercaptan), canned corn (dimethyl sulfide), rotten garlic (dimethyl disulfide), earthy/musty (2-methyl isoborneol and 2-isopropyl 3-methoxy pyrazine), and fecal (skatole and indole). This is the first time a study evaluates the removal of specific odors by simultaneously employing sensory analyses using the odor profile method, which defines the different odor characters and intensities, together with chemical analyses of the odorants causing these odors. The results show that the three granular activated carbon filters, before hydrogen sulfide breakthrough, provided significant improvement in odor intensity and odorant removal. Breakthrough was reached after 57 days for the coconut mixed with permanganate, 107 days for the coconut, and 129 days for the coal granular activated carbon filter. Breakthrough (the critical saturation point of the activated carbon media) was considered reached when the hydrogen sulfide percentage removal diminished to 90% and continued downward. The coconut mixed with permanganate granular activated carbon filter provided the best treatment among the media tested, achieving very good reduction of odorants, as measured by chemical analyses, and reasonable removal of odor intensities, as measured by the odor profile method. The coconut mixed with permanganate granular activated carbon is recommended for short-term odor control systems at sewer networks or emergency plant maintenance situations given its shorter time to breakthrough compared with the other granular activated carbons. The coal and coconut granular activated carbon filters are generally used as the last stage of an odor treatment system. Because of the observed poor to average performance in removing odorants other than hydrogen sulfide, the treatment stage(s) prior to the use of these granulated activated carbons should provide a good methyl mercaptan removal of at least 90% in order to avoid the formation of dimethyl disulfide, which, in the presence of moisture in the carbon filter, emit the characteristic rotten garlic odor. The differences observed between the performances based on odorant removal by chemical analysis compared with those based on sensorial analyses by the odor profile method indicate that both analyses are required to understand more fully the odor dynamics. PRACTITIONER POINTS: Three virgin granulated activated carbon media were evaluated in a field pilot unit using raw collections foul air. Coal, coconut, and coconut mixed with permanganate were tested until breakthrough. Samples were analyzed both chemically (odorants) and sensorially (odors). Coconut mixed with permanganate proved to be the media that better reduced odorants and odors.

Examining how media age affects organic matter removal in activated carbon filtration

AbstractWater samples from Waiora Drinking Water Treatment Plant in New Zealand were analyzed using excitation‐emission matrix fluorescence spectroscopy (EEMS) and parallel factor (PARAFAC) analysis to evaluate organic matter removal across the plant. The assessment also included the individual granular activated carbon (GAC) filters since the filters had varying media ages due to partial media replacement over a 10‐month period, presenting a unique assessment opportunity. PARAFAC analysis identified humic‐like, tyrosine‐protein‐like, and tryptophan‐protein‐like components representing fluorescent dissolved organic matter groups. The humic‐like component strongly correlated with total organic carbon (TOC) concentration and removal was significantly influenced by filter media age. However, protein‐like components had minimal TOC correlation and were not effectively removed by the overall plant treatment irrespective of filter media age. These findings have implications for disinfection, taste and odor, and bacterial regrowth and require an improved media replacement strategy. Further study of the protein‐like components is required.

Effectiveness of Corn Shell Activated Carbon Filters in Reducing Iron (Fe) Levels in Clean Water

Effectiveness of Corn Shell Activated Carbon Filters in Reducing Iron (Fe) Levels in Clean Water

PERFORMANCE EVALUATION OF ACTIVATED CARBON PRODUCED FROM CORNCOB, COW BONE, AND COCONUT SHELL AS A FILTER MEDIUM

Inaccessibility of safe drinking water coupled with poor sanitation and hygiene and its attendance effect is estimated to cost Nigeria about 1.3 billion dollars. The rural communities adopted different methods to filter their water however these methods have proven ineffective in removing certain impurities. The use of fabric cannot remove the microorganisms and chemicals present in water. It is given that activated carbon filters are applied in the removal of these chemicals to test the performance of activated carbon made from corncob, cow bone, and coconut shell as a filter medium, activated carbons were used separately, and combined in a model filter. Raw water samples from Kubanni River and the borehole in 55 apartment Dogon Itche Samaru, Zaria were filtered by the model without pretreatment. The sieve analysis carried out on the activated corncob, cow bone, and coconut shell shows effective sizes of 0.27mm, 0.08mm, and 0.21mm; and uniformity coefficients of 2.11, 5.38, and 2.33 respectively. The analysis showed that the combined media has the highest turbidity removal, 92% for the river sample and 89% for the borehole sample. In terms of acidity and chloride removal, the activated corncob gave better filtrate quality: 19% and 13% removal respectively. In the case of alkalinity, the activated cow bone and coconut shell showed a gradual removal in alkalinity from the borehole sample. The combined media showed more tendency to remove hardness compared to the other activated carbons

Design and Fabricate of Coconut Shell Activated Carbon for Groundwater Filtration System

This paper presents the design and fabrication of activated carbon (AC) filters from agricultural coconut shells for groundwater filtration systems. The AC had been acting as a filter medium to filtrate the water. The production of AC from local agricultural wastes is the most environmentally friendly solution by transforming negative value wastes into valuable materials. The chemical and physical characteristics of AC produced were tested by adsorption capacity using Freundlich Adsorption Isotherm. Test results showed that AC with favourable physico-chemical properties can be produced locally from agricultural waste. Moreover, four parameters were measured to determine the filter's effectiveness: pH, turbidity, total suspended solids (TSS), and ammonia (NH3 –N). Consequently, the percentage removal of turbidity is 62% to 63%, TSS is 82% to 79%, and NH3-N is 12% to 4%, meeting the water quality standard. Overall, removing water quality parameters in groundwater filtration systems is more efficient with powdered AC than with granular size.

Comparative investigation of known and unknown disinfection by-product precursor removal and microbial community from biological biochar and activated carbon filters

Biological activated carbon filter (BAC) is one of the most effective technologies for removing disinfection by-product (DBP) precursors from water. Biochar is a lower-cost medium that has the potential to replace granular activated carbon in BAC applications, thus leading to the development of biological biochar filter (BCF). This study compared BCF with BAC for the removal of DBP precursors using column experiments. Both BCF and BAC achieved the removal of DBP precursors, resulting in concentrations of all DBP formation potential below the World Health Organization guideline values for drinking water. Bromodichloromethane and unknown DBP precursor removal by BCF was comparable to that by BAC. However, BAC removed more chloroform and dichloroacetontrile precursors than BCF. For microbial community analysis, cell numbers in a bottom layer (inlet) of BCF and BAC columns were higher than those in the top layer. The abundances of Nordella and a microbial genus from Burkholderiaceae at the bottom layer showed a strong correlation to the number of DBP precursors removed and were comparable in BCF and BAC. This finding likely contributes to the similarities between DBPs species removed and the removal performances of some known and unknown DBP precursors by BCF and BAC. Overall results from this study revealed that biochar can be served as a low-cost and sustainable replacement of activated carbon in water filter for DBP precursor removal.

Effect of activated carbon compaction on water filtration efficiency

Water contamination in rural Malaysian areas, mainly caused by logging activities leading to soil erosion and river pollution, presents a significant threat to water supplies. In response, a specialized activated carbon water filtering device was developed to target the absorption of organic molecules. The impact of compaction of activated carbon on water filtering efficiency was evaluated. Testing both compacted and uncompacted activated carbon filters with contaminated river water, the study utilized the Malaysia Department of Environment’s (DOE) water quality index (WQI) to assess filter effectiveness. The results revealed that water filtered through compacted activated carbon was clearer and less yellowish compared to the uncompacted counterpart. Moreover, the compacted filter showed higher dissolved oxygen levels, lower ammoniacal nitrogen levels, and a lower pH, resulting in a significantly higher WQI score of 80.4 compared to 78.8 for the uncompacted filter. Further analysis via an adsorption isotherm test demonstrated the superior ability of compacted activated carbon to absorb acetic acid, as evidenced by higher lines in the Freundlich isotherm model graphs. These findings emphasize the efficacy of compacted activated carbon in water filtration, advocating for its integration into filter construction to enhance water quality in rural regions.

New Perspectives on the Interactions between Adsorption and Degradation of Organic Micropollutants in Granular Activated Carbon Filters.

The removal of organic micropollutants in granular activated carbon (GAC) filters can be attributed to adsorption and biological degradation. These two processes can interact with each other or proceed independently. To illustrate the differences in their interaction, three 14C-labeled organic micropollutants with varying potentials for adsorption and biodegradation were selected to study their adsorption and biodegradation in columns with adsorbing (GAC) and non-adsorbing (sand) filter media. Using 14CO2 formation as a marker for biodegradation, we demonstrated that the biodegradation of poorly adsorbing N-nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA) was more sensitive to changes in the empty bed contact time (EBCT) compared with that of moderately adsorbing diclofenac. Further, diclofenac that had adsorbed under anoxic conditions could be degraded when molecular oxygen became available, and substantial biodegradation (≥60%) of diclofenac could be achieved with a 15 min EBCT in the GAC filter. These findings suggest that the retention of micropollutants in GAC filters, by prolonging the micropollutant residence time through adsorption, can enable longer time periods for degradations than what the hydraulic retention time would allow for. For the biologically recalcitrant compound carbamazepine, differences in breakthrough between the 14C-labeled and nonradiolabeled compounds revealed a substantial retention via successive adsorption-desorption, which could pose a potential challenge in the interpretation of GAC filter performance.

Microplastics in anaerobic digestion: occurrence, impact, and mitigation strategies.

Microplastic pollution has emerged as a global environmental concern, with pervasive contamination in terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. This review paper delves into the intricate dynamics of microplastics within anaerobic digestion systems, addressing their occurrence, impact, and potential mitigation strategies. The occurrence of microplastics in anaerobic digesters is widespread, entering these systems through diverse inputs, such as sewage sludge, organic waste, and etc. Microplastics in anaerobic digestion have been associated with potential adverse impacts on biogas production, process performance, microbial communities, and degradation processes, though the relationship is complex and context dependent. This review highlights the urgent need for comprehensive research into the fate of microplastics within anaerobic digesters. Mitigation strategies offer promise in alleviating microplastic contamination, with advanced separation methods, innovative techniques such as magnetic micro-submarines, photocatalytic micro-motors, membrane bioreactors combined with activated carbon filters, rapid sand filtration, or conventional activated sludge, and disintegration-oriented techniques such as electrocatalysis, biodegradation, and thermal decomposition. Nonetheless, there is a significant knowledge gap that necessitates further research into the fate and long-term effects of microplastics in digestate. Collaborative efforts are crucial to addressing this emerging concern and ensuring the sustainability of anaerobic digestion systems in the face of microplastic challenges.

Micropollutant elimination by sustainable technologies: Coupling activated carbon with solar photo-Fenton as pre-oxydation step

This study evaluates the effectiveness of coupling solar photo-Fenton (SPF) with granular activated carbon (GAC) filtration to remove three selected micropollutants (benzotriazole, carbamazepine and diclofenac) from municipal wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) effluent. SPF was first studied stand-alone at natural pH with simulated and real irradiation in raceway pond reactors (RPR) in different water matrices. The scenario with the poorest removal was the use of real WWTP effluent as water matrix; the removal achieved was 25 % of benzotriazole, 57 % of carbamazepine and up to 80 % of diclofenac (6 mg L−1 of iron, 40 mg L−1 of H2O2, 15 cm depth, 0.49 kJ L−1). In the second phase, fresh and regenerated GAC were studied in different water matrices, showing that the complex matrices had a higher influence on the regenerated GAC. Thus, the breakthrough of regenerated GAC was achieved quicker than fresh GAC. The aim of the work was to extend the GAC lifetime by a pre-oxidation process; thus, SPF was applied for 5 minutes (0.05–0.08 kJ L−1) as a first step. GAC lifetime was extended between 2 and 12 times thanks to the pre-treatment by SPF, equaling the lifetime of the regenerated GAC to the fresh one in the more complex matrix.

Redox potential analysis for activated carbon using B.EL.D™ technology: A novel application

Assessing the effectiveness of activated carbon is essential for the optimal operation of water treatment systems. Traditional evaluation methods, although precise, are typically labor-intensive and require complex equipment This study introduces a novel application of the B.EL.D™ device, utilizing redox potential measurements to gauge the activation level of carbon filters—an approach not previously employed. We hypothesized that redox potential is a reliable indicator of activated carbon's performance, a hypothesis that was rigorously validated through extensive testing against the standard iodine number test (ASTM D4607). Our analysis included both control and operational samples from ongoing water treatment processes over two years, confirming a definitive correlation between redox potential and carbon's adsorptive capacity. The findings demonstrate the potential of our method as a rapid, accurate, and cost-effective alternative to current testing practices. Currently under patent consideration, this study marks a significant advancement towards improving the assessment of activated carbon filters, providing an efficient pathway for water treatment facilities and establishing the foundation for a predictive maintenance model.

Implications of the operation of continuous granular activated carbon filters on the effluent quality.

Granular activated carbon (GAC) filtration is a commonly used method for advanced wastewater treatment. Filters can be operated continuously or discontinuously, with continuous operation not requiring feed flow interruption for backwashing and circulation (B/C). This study investigated the influence of B/C on the effluent quality of continuous filters. Two continuous GAC filters were operated for 1.5 years, with analysis of dissolved substances and particulate matter in the influent and effluent. The results indicated that various B/C modes had no impact on the removal of dissolved organic carbon and organic micropollutants (OMP), achieving an OMP removal of over 70% after 5,600 treated bed volumes (m3 treated wastewater per m3 GAC). However, it was evident that continuous B/C over 2-4 h resulted in increased turbidity, total suspended solids over 30 mg/L and total phosphorus concentrations of 1.3 mg/L in the filter effluent. Additionally, the study demonstrated that longer and more intensive B/C processes resulted in GAC size degradation with AC concentrations of up to 6.9 mg/L in the filter effluent, along with a change in GAC particle size. Furthermore, the importance of pre-filtration in reducing particulate matter in the filter influent and decreasing hydraulic head loss could be demonstrated.

Amorphous carbon derived from daily carbon ink for wide detection range, low-cost, eco-friendly and flexible pressure sensor

Flexible pressure sensor has important applications in wearable electronic system. However, most reported flexible pressure sensors still face problems such as expensive raw materials, complex preparation processes, and narrow pressure detection ranges. Inspired by low-cost daily carbon ink and filter paper, a flexible pressure sensor is designed and fabricated using a simple dip-coating method. The proposed pressure sensor consists of two filter papers coated with carbon ink as sensitive layers, fabric conductive tapes as flexible electrodes, and polyimide tape as packaging layer. The filter paper has a fibrous microstructure, which is beneficial for improving the pressure sensing performance of the pressure sensor. The main component of carbon ink is amorphous carbon, which has a moderate conductivity. The results indicate that the pressure sensor exhibits wide detection range (0.1–100 kPa), high sensitivity of 0.627 kPa−1 (0.1–15 kPa), short response/recovery times (230 ms/290 ms) and good durability (4000 cycles at 50 kPa). In addition, the pressure sensor can be used for physiological and motion monitoring, such as pulse and step count. This work provides an optional strategy for developing wide detection range, low-cost, eco-friendly and flexible pressure sensor.