Nitrates are most often by products of fertilizer use, and can build up in soils and percolate down into drinking water aquifers. Other potential sources of nitrate contamination include quarries where explosives are routinely used. Another source can be untreated human sewage. Nitrates may build up to such a level that they become a hazard to the health of children under the age of 3 months as well as a hazard to pregnant women. The biggest concern is the development of Blue Baby Syndrome which can be fatal.
 
One difficulty with Nitrates is that they trickle down and build up slowly. Once detected in a well or an aquifer, they can be expected to contaminate the water for many years to come. Even if measures have already been started to control their release on the surface.
 
To facilitate Nitrate removal, Aslan uses a variety of methods, depending on the amount of removal required. For a local well, with relatively low flow rates, a softener type application may be all that is required. This would be a modified version of a typical water softener, with a special resin engineered to remove nitrates. Filters to keep calcium carbonate out of the system would be required and a UV water disinfection system at the discharge.
 
For larger systems RO membranes are used to achieve economical removal of nitrates. These systems can be configured for different flows simply by adding or subtracting membranes. There is also comparatively low maintenance consisting mainly of scheduled membrane changes and system cleaning. 
 
To meet Nitrate reduction standards in the USA, the EPA mandates removal down to 10mg/liter. Around the world, reductions down to 40mg/liter may be acceptable especially in areas where existing Nitrate concentrations may exceed 180mg/liter.

Nitrate Removal

Nitrates are most often by products of fertilizer use, and can build up in soils and percolate down into drinking water aquifers. Other potential sources of nitrate contamination include quarries where explosives are routinely used. Another source can be untreated human sewage. Nitrates may build up to such a level that they become a hazard to the health of children under the age of 3 months as well as a hazard to pregnant women. The biggest concern is the development of Blue Baby Syndrome which can be fatal.
 
One difficulty with Nitrates is that they trickle down and build up slowly. Once detected in a well or an aquifer, they can be expected to contaminate the water for many years to come. Even if measures have already been started to control their release on the surface.
 
To facilitate Nitrate removal, Aslan uses a variety of methods, depending on the amount of removal required. For a local well, with relatively low flow rates, a softener type application may be all that is required. This would be a modified version of a typical water softener, with a special resin engineered to remove nitrates. Filters to keep calcium carbonate out of the system would be required and a UV water disinfection system at the discharge.
 
For larger systems RO membranes are used to achieve economical removal of nitrates. These systems can be configured for different flows simply by adding or subtracting membranes. There is also comparatively low maintenance consisting mainly of scheduled membrane changes and system cleaning. 
 
To meet Nitrate reduction standards in the USA, the EPA mandates removal down to 10mg/liter. Around the world, reductions down to 40mg/liter may be acceptable especially in areas where existing Nitrate concentrations may exceed 180mg/liter.