Methods of Water Treatment


Water Contaminants

Acidic Water
Aluminum
Ammonia
Arsenic
Bacteria
Barium
Benzene
Bicarbonate
Borate (Boron)
Bromine (Bromide)
Cadmium
Calcium
Carbon Dioxide
Carbon Tetrachloride
Chloride
Chlorine
Chromium
Color
Copper
Cryptosporidium
Cyanide
Fluoride
Giardia Lamblia
Hardness
Hydrogen Sulfide
Iron
Lead
Legionella
Magnesium
Manganese
Mercury
Methane
Nickel
Nitrate
Nitrite
Odor
Organics
Pesticides
pH
Potassium
Radium
Radon
Selenium
Silica
Silver
SOC's
Sodium
Strontium
Sulfate
Taste
THM's
TOC
Total Dissolved Solids
Turbidity
Uranium
Viruses
VOCs

Strontium

Source
Strontium (Sr) is in the same family as calcium and magnesium, and is one of the polyvalent earth metals that shows up as hardness in the water. The presence of strontium is usually restricted to areas where there are lead ores, and its concentration in water is usually very low. Strontium sulfate is a critical reverse osmosis membrane foulant, dependent on its concentration. There is no MCL for strontium listed in the US EPA Drinking Water Standards.

Treatment
Strontium can be removed with strong acid cation exchange resin. It can be in sodium form as in a water softener or the hydrogen form as in the cation portion of a two-column deionizer. Reverse osmosis will also reduce strontium but as stated above strontium sulfate is a membrane foulant.