A number of harmful substances can potentially pose a danger to drinking water. Vanadium is a toxic transition metal that naturally occurs in rocks. When conditions in the soil cause the vanadium to become mobile, the metal is released into the groundwater. Until now, the Drinking Water Regulation had not prescribed a limit value for vanadium. Notwithstanding this, water suppliers were obliged to comply with a guide value set at 4 μg/l by the German Federal Environmental Agency as well as a maximum action value of 20 μg/l of vanadium in drinking water.
GEH® is an adsorbent comprising Granular Ferric Hydroxide. It has been used successfully to remove arsenic from drinking water during drinking water treatment. Over the past two years, vanadium removal using GEH® has been tested at a German waterworks in practical operation. These trial revealed that vanadium can be reliably and selectively bonded to the surface of ferric hydroxide. This approach enables vanadium to be safely removed from drinking water to a level below the detection limit, while other essential minerals are left untouched. As of today, granular ferric hydroxide filters are thus the only process in Germany to be officially approved for removing vanadium from drinking water.
That being said, Germany is not the only country where vanadium poses a danger to a safe drinking water supply. Elevated concentrations of vanadium are known to occur in groundwater in the USA, Latin America, Italy, France, and other countries. Germany thus has the potential to pioneer the introduction of such a limit level for other countries to follow. GEH® adsorption is a process that can be employed anywhere in the world where toxic vanadium contaminates the groundwater.
GEH® is an adsorbent comprising Granular Ferric Hydroxide. It has been used successfully to remove arsenic from drinking water during drinking water treatment. Over the past two years, vanadium removal using GEH® has been tested at a German waterworks in practical operation. These trial revealed that vanadium can be reliably and selectively bonded to the surface of ferric hydroxide. This approach enables vanadium to be safely removed from drinking water to a level below the detection limit, while other essential minerals are left untouched. As of today, granular ferric hydroxide filters are thus the only process in Germany to be officially approved for removing vanadium from drinking water.
That being said, Germany is not the only country where vanadium poses a danger to a safe drinking water supply. Elevated concentrations of vanadium are known to occur in groundwater in the USA, Latin America, Italy, France, and other countries. Germany thus has the potential to pioneer the introduction of such a limit level for other countries to follow. GEH® adsorption is a process that can be employed anywhere in the world where toxic vanadium contaminates the groundwater.
