Aluminum in Water

(Al+3) Aluminum in water generally is not a public concern in municipal or industrial water systems. Aluminum is one of the most abundant metals in the Earth's surface, but its solubility in water is so very low. The majority of natural water contains from 0.1 ppm up to 9.0 ppm of aluminum in water levels, however the primary Source of Aluminum in drinking water comes from the use of aluminum sulfate (alum) as a coagulant in water treatment plants. The total dietary exposure to aluminum salts averages around 20 mg/day. Aluminum is on the US EPA's Secondary Drinking Water Standards list with suggested aluminum water levels of 0.05 - 0.2 mg/l; dependent on case-by-case circumstances.

Aluminum Water Treatment - To remove Aluminum from water a cation exchanger can be used, but hydrochloric acid or sulfuric acid must be applied for regeneration to remove the aluminum from the resin. While this is suitable for industrial aluminum water treatment application it is not recommended for removing aluminum in drinking water for domestic water treatment applications unless it is in the form of a cation exchange tank. Reverse Osmosis (RO Water Systems) will reduce the aluminum content of drinking water by 98 + %. Water Distillation will reduce the aluminum content of water by 99 + %. Electrodialysis is also very effective in the reduction of aluminum from drinking water.