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Dow Water Solutions Creates Model to Determine Lifetime of ADSORBSIA™ GTO™ Arsenic Removal Media Under Varying Water Quality Conditions


WEBWIRE

Study to be presented at NGWA Conference

Midland, MI - March 19, 2007

Dow Water Solutions has successfully created a model that accurately determines the lifetime of adsorptive arsenic removal media based on the chemistry of the water being treated. Results of the semi-empirical study, titled “Predicting Arsenic Removal Lifetime for ADSORBSIA™ GTO™ Media,” will be presented at the 2007 National Ground Water Association’s (NGWA’s) “Naturally Occurring Contaminants Conference: Arsenic, Radium, Radon, Uranium,” held in Charleston, S.C. on March 22-23. The study, authored by Fredrick W. Vance, development specialist, and Geofrey P. Onifer, New Business Development project manager, of Dow Water Solutions, predicts the impact of water quality on the performance of adsorptive arsenic removal media and also highlights the importance of media selection and performance to the overall water treatment system design.

To determine the lifetime of adsorptive media under various water quality conditions, Dow Water Solutions created a model that accurately projects the impact of silica and pH levels of the water, in addition to the level of arsenic contamination, on its proprietary ADSORBSIA titanium-based arsenic removal media. The results indicate that silica and pH, as well as other competing ions present in the water, can affect the capacity and bed performance of adsorptive media as much as, or more than, arsenic levels. The ability to predict the performance of the media based on these influential factors is a critical step in determining the optimum design, size, and configuration

of an arsenic removal system. In tests conducted with high levels of silica and pH, ADSORBSIA™ media performed better than competing technologies, indicating the media’s effectiveness in reducing arsenic to non-detectable levels under varying water quality conditions.

“The chemical composition of the water being treated is critical to determining the effective lifetime and performance of adsorptive media,” said Vance. “Our model is based on water quality parameters investigated in hundreds of laboratory column tests, and has been validated with data provided by our customers and independent pilot runs, such as the one conducted in the city of Phoenix. Together, they have demonstrated the effectiveness of ADSORBSIA media in reducing arsenic levels even in cases with high silica levels and varying pH.”

With the recent U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulation limiting arsenic levels in drinking water to 10 parts per billion (ppb), system owners and operators have been challenged with finding an adsorptive media that meets their needs in terms of performance and durability, factors that have a direct impact on the system’s design, effectiveness, and lifetime. “Accurate system modeling is essential for a low-cost system design,” continued Vance. “Being able to assess, in advance, the performance of the media, taking into consideration our customers’ cost limits, footprint limitations and operating rates, helps our OEMs design a system with efficient operation, reduced operational costs, and longer performance life.”

Arsenic occurs most predominantly in groundwater and is formed by the dissolution of minerals as rocks and soils erode. Since its launch in March 2005, ADSORBSIA GTO media has been used extensively to help municipalities meet the EPA regulation. Based on a proprietary granulation process, ADSORBSIA media exhibits kinetics faster than those of competing media, resulting in higher capacity, faster flow rates and a smaller system footprint. It is an ideal, low-cost option for small to mid-sized systems facing the challenge of reducing levels of arsenic in drinking water.

Designed and commercialized by Dow Water Solutions, ADSORBSIA™ media is one of many innovative products that underscore Dow’s strategy to strengthen its Performance business portfolio by prioritizing marketing and application development activities that support high-value, end-use applications. The technology also exemplifies Dow’s commitment to improve access to higher quality, affordable and sustainable water supplies for communities and industries worldwide.

The 2007 NGWA Naturally Occurring Contaminants Conference is an educational event on naturally occurring elements arsenic, radium, radon, and uranium, which can contaminate municipal and private water wells. Throughout the conference, various treatment technologies will be addressed. The National Ground Water Association is an organization of international groundwater professionals who work to promote the responsible development, use and management of groundwater resources.



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