Sulfates
Introduction
Sulfate (SO4) can be found in almost all natural water. The origin of most sulfate compounds is the oxidation of sulfite ores, the presence of shales, or the industrial wastes.
Sulfate is one of the major dissolved components of rain. High concentrations of sulfate in the water we drink can have a laxative effect when combined with calcium and magnesium, the two most common constituents of hardness. Bacteria, which attack and reduce sulfates, form hydrogen sulfide gas (H2S).
The maximum level of sulfate suggested by the World Health Organization (WHO) in the Guidelines for Drinking-water Quality, set up in Geneva, 1993, is 500 mg/l. EU standards are more recent, 1998, complete and strict than the WHO standards, suggesting a maximum of 250 mg/l of sulfate in water intended for human consumption.
Click here for more information about drinking water standards.
How does sulfate enter our water supplies?
Some soils and rocks contain sulfate minerals. As groundwater moves through these, some of the sulfate is dissolved into the water.
Some minerals that contain sulfate are sodium sulfate (Glauber's salt), magnesium sulfate (Epsom salt), and calcium sulfate (gypsum).
| | | |
Magnesium sulfate Sodium sulfate Calcium sulfate
(Epsom's salt) (Glauber's salt) (gypsum)
How to remove the sulfate from your water
There are three types of treatment systems that will remove sulfate from your drinking water: reverse osmosis, distillation, or ion exchange. Carbon filters, water softeners and sediment filters will not remove sulfate. Water softeners exclusively change magnesium or calcium sulfate into sodium sulfate, which is more laxative.
| Reverse osmosis (RO) is a water treatment system that eliminates most dissolved elements and chemicals, such as sulfate, from water by pushing the water through a plastic surface similar to cellophane known as a "semipermeable membrane." Generally, it can eliminate between 93 and 99 % of the sulfate in drinking water. This depends on the type of unit. |
| | Distillation is a water treatment system in which water is boiled, and then the steam is cooled until it condenses into a separate container. The dissolved substances, such as sulfate, remain in the boiling pot. |
| Ion Exchange is the most known method of eliminating big quantities of sulfate from water for public, livestock, and commercial supplies, but is not generally used for individual household water treatment. It is a process where one element or chemical is replaced for another. |
If both a water softener and a sulfate elimination system are used, the water softener is generally placed before the sulfate elimination system.
Any water treatment system needs adequate operation and maintenance to ensure that it functions properly over time. It is important to follow the recommendations of the manufacturer for the maintenance of the water treatment system.
Click here for more information on ionic exchange systems.
Click here for more information on the element Sulfur (S).
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