Heavy metals in drinking water problem

One of the most common problems in water around the world is the presence of dissolved heavy metals.

This group of metals are highly toxic for human consumption and irrigation and must be removed by absorption or precipitation systems before water is used for these purposes.

Most common metals found in water

The most common heavy metals that can be found in well, river, network and industrial water worldwide are Chromium, Nickel, Copper, Aluminum and Cadmium.

These compounds have effects on the health of the nervous system, being considered a poison if ingested in medium and high quantities together with water, generating stomach pain and nausea in its initial symptoms. The main problem with heavy metals dissolved in water is that when consumed, they are not easily eliminated from the human body by conventional methods.

The contamination of water by these compounds of metallic origin can appear by natural means (well water and rivers) or artificial means (industrial water discharges). It is also common that in areas where there are large agricultural areas, appear this type of compounds derived from the use of pesticides.

To know the concentration of heavy metals in contaminated water, it will be enough to perform a complete analysis of quality and potability which will give us not only these data but also the concentration of bacteria, salinity, turbidity and other parameters to be taken into account for the treatment of heavy metal reduction.

To avoid the constant consumption of copper, cadmium, aluminum and chromium concentrations in water that exceed the limits, it will be necessary their absorption through specific filter media.

Methods to remove heavy metals from water

The most efficient solution for their reduction are filtration systems for heavy metal absorption. This equipment is designed with a specific filter media that removes heavy metals dissolved in the water through contact with the water. As the water passes through the filter, a chemical reaction takes place that produces the precipitation and subsequent absorption of these heavy metal compounds.

 The affinity of heavy metals with respect to adsorption increases in the following order: Co (carbon monoxide) 

The removal of heavy metals from water takes place thanks to van der Waals forces, and it is necessary to control that these forces work correctly with an adequate equipment design that guarantees the adsorption of any metal present in the water.

IMA water heavy metal filtration systems are designed to work individually or in combination with complete water treatment plants, being adaptable to new or existing installations and being able to operate anywhere in the world. Being a simple and low-cost solution, these filters can be installed as safety filters in any existing purification plant, in order to guarantee the absorption of any concentration of heavy metals, no matter how small.

Operation of heavy metals removal water filters

Since it is possible to have water containing several heavy metals at the same time (chromium, nickel, copper and cadmium), the operation of the IMA water filters is simple and constant, being able to absorb at the same time different metallic compounds in the same filtration process.

The filtrate is produced with the pressurized feeding of the water to be purified. This will come from a well or tank where it will be stored and fed to the filter with an estimated pressure of 2 bar. This pressure allows the contact and subsequent reduction of heavy metals inside the system and at the same time is a continuous process that can treat large flows of drinking water.

In order to design the filters correctly, the particular parameters of the water to be treated must be taken into account and, if necessary and for high flow rates, a pilot test must be carried out with a test filter to ensure that the absorption of all the metal compounds present in the water has an adequate performance. This is because parameters such as pH, temperature, suspended solids and salinity can interfere in the levels of metal removal and can vary the performance if not well controlled between 60-99%. These yields vary depending on the water to be treated, being well water and clean water much simpler than wastewater.

IMA water filters to remove heavy metals from water

In our company we have developed a complete range of industrial filters specifically designed to treat the most common and complex water problems around the world.

For this application, IMA water filters to reduce heavy metals from water are manufactured entirely in our facilities and are shipped to their destination ready for assembly and connection.

With our filtration equipment we can treat flow rates from 0.2 to 200 m3/h by means of the industrial filtration systems we have developed.

We also have pilot filtration plants that can be used in large projects to guarantee treatment performance and flow rates.

Contact us without obligation by phone or email for any technical advice or purchase of our equipment.