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Water Treatment Issues:

Acid Water

Algae, cyanotoxins

Alkalinity

Alum (Aluminum Sulfate)

Aluminum

Ammonia

Arsenic

Asbestos

Bacteria

Barium

Benzene

Bicarbonate Alkalinity

Boron (Borate, Boric Acid)

Brackish Water

Bromine

Bromate

Cadmium

Calcium

Carbon Dioxide

Carbon Tetrachloride

Chloramines

Chloride

Chlorine

Chromium

Color

Copper

Corrosion

Cryptosporidium

Cyanide

Dichloroethylene

Endocrine Disruptors

Fluoride

Giardia Lambia

Hardness

Heterotrophic Bacteria (HPC)

Hydrogen Sulfide

Iodine

Iron

Iron Bacteria

Lead

Magnesium

Manganese

Mercury

Methane

MTBE

Napthalene

Nickel

Nitrates and Nitrites

NMDA (N-Nitrosodimethylanime)

Norovirus

Odor

Organics

Perchloroethylene (PCE)

Perchlorate

Pesticides

pH

Pharmaceuticals

Radon

Radium

Selenium

Silica

Silver

Strontium

Sulfate

TDS (Total Dissolved Solids)

Trichlorethylene (TCE)

Tritium

Uranium

Vanadium

Vinyl Chloride

VOC


MTBE (Methyl tertiary-butyl ether)

The gasoline additive MTBE has been used since 1979 as a gasoline oxygenate to help gasoline burn cleaner. It was in Gas Pumpwide usage as a substitute for lead in the 1990s until the realization that it was contaminating groundwater in many areas of the US led to its use being banned or severely restricted. It has now been replaced largely by ethanol.

MTBE is a persistent pollutant that can remain in groundwater for many years. The EPA's recommended limit is 20 to 40 parts per billion, but some states have set lower limits. MTBE is not classified as a human carcinogen at low exposure levels, but exposure to large doses of MTBE carries significant non-cancer-related health risks. The effects of the prolonged presence of this alcohol derivative are not fully understood.

Treatment: MTBE is best removed from water by Activated Carbon, and coconut shell carbon is the preferred carbon. In most cases coconut shell carbon has a 2.5 times higher capacity for MTBE removal the bituminous carbon. Even so, sufficient contact time is essential for effective removal. A 12 x 30 or 12 X 40 mesh size is normally used, and this supports a flow rate of about 1 gpm. Higher rates are possible with 20 X 50 mesh coconut shell, but pressure drop increases dramatically. For drinking water, many carbon block filters effectively reduce MTBE at a flow rate of 0.5 to 0.9 gmp.