| MadSci Network: Engineering |
Teo: There are materials other than activated carbon that you can use to purify water. Which are best depends on what you want to accomplish (contaminants you're worried about, money available, use of the water, etc.). I am not an expert on this, so I asked on the Water Forum e-mail list and got several useful responses. Two people suggested zeolites (a kind of clay): This person should look into zeolites and/or high-CEC clays. Both have some similar properties to activated carbon. You really need to know exactly what it is you're trying to filter out before picking a suitable purification scheme though. One of those people also suggested powdered alum. Another person suggested a U.S. EPA web page: Depending on what your petitioner wants to get out of the water, micro-, ultra-, or nanofiltration may be useful. The American Water Works Association Reseach Foundation has done reseach on using these techologies for drinking water treatment (including arsenic removal most recently). There is a discussion on Best Available Technologies for arsenic removal including these techniques, and a nice list of references, on line at http://www.epa.gov/safewater/ars/treatments_and_costs.pdf . I think this web page will be your best place to start. Good luck, David Kopaska-Merkel Geological Survey of Alabama PO Box 869999 Tuscaloosa AL 35486-6999 (205) 349-2852 fax (205) 349-2861 www.gsa.state.al.us
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