Skip to main content
Arsenic Removal from Water
Water & Effluent Treatment

Arsenic Removal from Water

Activated alumina and specialty iron oxide media for arsenic removal from drinking water supplies in geological belts where natural arsenic exceeds the WHO guideline of 10 micrograms per litre.

Find My Solution View Products & Systems
The Challenge
Natural geological arsenic above 10 µg/L affects an estimated 200 million people worldwide in groundwater supplies across Bangladesh, India, the western United States, Argentina, and several other belts. Chronic arsenic exposure causes skin lesions, cancer, and cardiovascular disease; the WHO regulates the maximum at 10 µg/L.
Quick Answer

Arsenic removal from drinking water uses activated alumina (effective for arsenate, As(V)) or specialty iron oxide media (effective for both arsenate and arsenite, As(III)) to bring outlet arsenic below the WHO guideline of 10 µg/L. Pre oxidation with chlorine or potassium permanganate converts As(III) to the more easily adsorbed As(V).

Arsenic Removal from Water

Geological Arsenic Affects Drinking Water Globally

Natural geological arsenic in groundwater above the WHO guideline of 10 µg/L affects an estimated 200 million people worldwide. The most affected regions are Bangladesh and West Bengal (severe arsenicosis crisis since the 1990s), parts of India, the western United States, parts of Argentina and Chile, parts of China and Vietnam. Chronic arsenic exposure causes skin lesions, internal cancers, and cardiovascular disease.

Activated Alumina for Arsenate Removal

SorbiTech AA-201 activated alumina removes arsenate (As(V)) by ligand exchange at the alumina surface hydroxyl sites, the same chemistry that drives fluoride removal. Arsenite (As(III)) does not adsorb as effectively; pre oxidation with chlorine, potassium permanganate, or ozone converts As(III) to As(V), then the alumina captures it. The bed is regenerated with caustic and acid or replaced.

Arsenic Removal from Water process equipment

Iron Oxide Media for Combined As(III) and As(V)

Where pre oxidation is difficult (remote sites, intermittent power, complex chemistry), specialty iron oxide media remove both As(III) and As(V) directly without pre treatment. The iron oxide bed is single use, replaced rather than regenerated. SorbiTech supplies both routes and recommends the right technology based on the source water analysis, the operator capability, and the lifecycle cost.

Community Scale Delivery

Similar to community defluoridation, arsenic removal is most often deployed at village and small town scale where the affected populations live. The SorbiTech containerised treatment unit is a drop in solution: feed pump, pre treatment, alumina bed, post pH adjustment, and distribution pump. Sector coverage is municipal water treatment.

Selection Guidance

Activated alumina (AA-201 grade) for As(V) removal with pre oxidation upstream. Specialty iron oxide media for As(III) without pre oxidation. EBCT 5 to 10 minutes typical.

How SorbiTech Solves It

A Specified, Verified Solution

Define the duty

We capture your process conditions: flow, composition, pressure, temperature, and the target outlet specification.

Select media & configuration

Our engineers recommend the adsorbent grade and system type that meet the duty with margin.

Size & engineer

Bed sizing, vessel design, and cycle parameters are engineered to your case and documented for approval.

Commission & verify

We support loading, start up, and performance verification against the guarantee.

Recommended Products & Systems

Media

Adsorbents & Media

  1. 01 SorbiTech Activated Alumina Aa 201 Fluoride Removal Defluoridation Adsorbent Activated Alumina AA-201 Smooth sphere activated alumina for compressed air and gas drying, fluoride removal, and guard bed duty. Water Cap. ≥ 18 %
  2. 02 Powdered Activated Carbon Adsorbent Powdered Activated Carbon Fine powder carbon for slurry dosing in water treatment, sugar decolorization, pharmaceutical purification, and emergency contamination response. Form 200×325 mesh (45–75 µm)
  3. 03 Activated Carbon GAC 1240 Adsorbent Activated Carbon GAC 1240 Coal based granular activated carbon for dechlorination, taste and odour, and dissolved organics in water. Form 12 × 40 US mesh (0.42–1.70 mm)
Equipment

Engineered Systems

  1. 01 SorbiTech Activated Carbon Water Contactor Drinking Water GAC Polishing Contactor Equipment Activated Carbon Water Contactor Granular activated carbon fixed bed water contactor for dechlorination, taste and odour, dissolved organic carbon, and emerging contaminant polishing in drinking water and process… Capacity 5–2,000 m³/h
  2. 02 SorbiTech Community Defluoridation Treatment Unit Activated Alumina Fluoride Removal Skid Equipment Community Defluoridation Treatment Unit Containerised activated alumina defluoridation unit for community and decentralised drinking water supply to the WHO guideline of 1.5 mg per litre. Capacity 0.5–50 m³/h
  3. 03 SorbiTech Multi Media Filter Water Treatment Pressure Vessel Mmf Equipment Multi Media Filter Multi media filter for suspended solids and turbidity removal upstream of activated carbon polishing, reverse osmosis, or process reuse in water treatment trains. Capacity 5–500 m³/h
  4. 04 SorbiTech Coalescing Filtration Skid Oil Water Coalescer Filter Package Equipment Coalescing Filtration Skid Two stage coalescer and separator skid that removes fine dispersed hydrocarbons and solids from water down to single digit ppm. It is the polishing… Capacity 2–200 m³/h
Industries

Industries Using This Application

  1. 01 SorbiTech Industrial Water Treatment Pulp Paper Mill Water Block Daf GAC Sector Industrial Water Treatment Process water polishing, cooling tower blowdown, boiler feedwater, and groundwater remediation served by SorbiTech adsorbent media and engineered treatment skids.
  2. 02 SorbiTech Municipal Water Treatment WWTP Clarifiers GAC Contactor Hall Sector Municipal Water Treatment Activated carbon and activated alumina for taste and odour, dechlorination, and fluoride removal in drinking water treatment. NSF eligible media and complete treatment units.

Specify a Solution for This Application

Provide your process conditions and our team will recommend the grade, configuration, and sizing.

contact@sorbitech.com