Iron and Manganese Removal
Iron and manganese are minerals which come from similar types of rock and are sometimes found in water supplies (depending on its source). Depending on the plumbing materials used and the acidity of the water, small traces of iron can make their way into water once inside a premises.
A light yellow or brown colour in water is evidence of a presence of manganese, whereas orange is indicative of a presence of iron. Neither of the minerals are harmful, in fact small concentrations are essential to human health. Their colouration however can cause staining to clothing, kitchen sinks and bathroom sinks, baths and showers. Additionally high concentrations of iron may give water an unpleasant metallic taste, although it is still safe to drink.
Both iron and manganese in water can be removed with an EFM filter unit. This is a self cleaning filter, sized for your water flow and contamination level. Once installed it requires no user input, only an annual service to keep it working efficiently. Some iron and manganese filters on the market require salt as a regeneration media. This will entail you keeping a large quantity of salt in stock to replenish the system and remembering to regularly keep it topped up. Our systems use MZ10, a manganese zeolite, oxidising and filtering medium prepared by processing greensand (glauconite). MZ10 is used in conjunction with potassium permanganate for the removal of iron, manganese and hydrogen sulphide. Using this medium, the level of iron found in water can be reduced to less than 0.01 ppm.
Depending on system configuration, periodically the EFM filter unit will automatically back-wash itself using potassium permanganate which oxidises the manganese and iron found in water to produce insoluble oxides, which are then settled or filtered off.
If you believe you have iron and/or manganese in your water, then a test will be necessary to determine the levels and from this a suitable removal system can be provided. Contact us if you would like more advice, wish to arrange a test or have test results and would like a quote on a suitable system.