The challenge: arsenic removal
Based on the research work of Prof. Arup K SenGupta at Lehigh University in Pennsylvania, SolmeteX® scientists have developed and commercialized ArsenXnp, an innovative, cost-effective and safe approach for the total removal of arsenic from municipal water supplies and private wells. ArsenXnp is a polymer based bead with iron oxide nano-particles impregnated throughout the bead structure. This advanced hybrid material combines the best arsenic-binding chemistry with the robustness of water industry-standard polymer resins.
ArsenXnp offers a host of intrinsic advantages:
- ArsenXnp is regenerable, making the technology very cost-effective.
- The bead won't collapse or break down, minimizing maintenance and back pressure.
- ArsenXnp does not require backwashing.
- ArsenXnp does not create on-site arsenic residuals.
- Nano-particles yield optimum binding surface area for improved capacity and kinetics.
- ArsenXnp offers great fluid mechanics, increasing efficiency and reliability.
Manufactured in the US through a license agreement between Lehigh University and SolmeteX®, ArsenXnp is tested and certified by the Water Quality Association. For detailed information on how this ground-breaking technology is applied to the npXtra household point- of- entry program, visit www.npxtra.com
ArsenXnp is a results-oriented and efficient technology developed in collaboration with Lehigh University in Pennsylvania. The ANSI/NSF 61-approved, patent-pending ArsenXnp combines the proven, robust nature of polymer beads with the arsenic selective chemistry of iron media.
ArsenXnp technology requires lower system capital costs than traditional technologies. Simple to install and to operate, ArsenXnp systems do not require additional real estate or plumbing for backwash purposes. They have been used in applications ranging from the single household to municipalities treating over 3 million gpd.
ArsenXnp is regenerable. Using the same material over and over again significantly reduces system life O&M costs. Regeneration is done off-site, stripping the arsenic off the media at a central facility, to be disposed of properly at a hazardous material facility. The potential liability of arsenic leaching from the media in a local landfill is thus eliminated.
Arsenic Contamination: Scope and Health Effects
Arsenic is widely distributed throughout the earth's crust, Arsenic contamination is largely the result of minerals from weathered rocks and soils which become dissolved in ground water. Tasteless and odorless, arsenic is highly toxic and carcinogenic. Long-term exposure to even low levels has been proven to be detrimental to human health. Arsenic in drinking water has been linked to cancer of the bladder, lungs, skin, kidney, nasal passages, liver and prostate. Ingestion of arsenic can also have non-cancer effects in the cardio-vascular, pulmonary, immunological, neurological and endocrine systems.
In January 2006, the nationally mandated maximum contaminant limit (MCL) for arsenic in drinking water was lowered to 10 micrograms per liter (or 10 ppb). In the United States, there are over 4,000 municipalities that have drinking water with higher levels of arsenic than this maximum contaminant limit (MCL). Additionally, there are 14 million American homes with private wells that exceed the MCL.