Adsorption: A Safe Approach To Trace Contaminant Removal

The regulations around trace contaminant removal in wastewater streams become stricter every year. Yet, some treatment processes, namely precipitation and ion exchange, have cost-prohibitive and potentially hazardous drawbacks. Isolux Technologies developed a cost-effective alternative — an adsorption technology that safely removes contaminants from wastewater streams. Download the article to learn about the technology and read specific examples how it has proven to be effective in various wastewater contaminant removal scenarios.

While local environmental regulations to remove or reduce the concentration of certain trace contaminants (i.e. arsenic, boron, chromium, lead, perchlorate, phosphorus, selenium, and vanadium) vary from site to site, one thing is certain — the regulations become stricter every year. Conventional treatment processes such as precipitation and ion exchange can be cost prohibitive and difficult to operate, and both processes have numerous drawbacks. For example, precipitation processes require a great deal of expensive equipment. And, in certain instances, spent ion exchange resin may have to be treated as hazardous waste.

As an alternative to these costly and potentially hazardous processes, the Isolux Technologies Division of MEL Chemicals, Inc. developed an adsorption-based technology that uses its patented zirconium-based media to handle trace contaminants. The adsorption process uses inorganic materials, typically metallic hydroxides, which have a surface specifically designed for high selectivity for specific contaminants. The cartridge-based technology offers many benefits, including a small footprint for sites with space constraints. 

This article explains the adsorption process in detail. Download it now to learn all about it and read three specific examples of how Isolux Technology has been an effective solution to wastewater contaminant problems.