In light of the recently revised standard maximum contaminant level of 10 ppm that went into effect January 2006, increased attention has been given to adsorptive media as an effective means of removing arsenic from drinking water.   While many different media may be capable of removing arsenic to the desired levels, they all have their own unique characteristics which may affect operation in a water treatment plant.  While the media’s capacity for arsenic in the presence of interfering ions is the primary driver for selecting a particular adsorptive media, the physical properties of the media can play an important role in the sometimes overlooked issues such as material handling, necessary backwashing, and changes to water pH.  This talk will focus on improvements made in these aspects with ADSORBSIA™ media, without sacrificing the media’s adsorptive capacity for arsenic.  Specific examples will highlight how the change in pH during initial use has been minimized, and how the amount of water needed to reduce the initial turbidity has been drastically reduced.

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