PURE VERSATILE NATURAL ZEOLITE		A WHOLLY OWNED SUBSIDIARY OF UNITED STATES ANTIMONY CORPORATION 406-827-3523 or tfl3543@blackfoot.net

BRZ™ FOR DRINKING WATER TREATMENT
 

 Using BRZ™ natural zeolite in physical filtration systems offers several advantages, including:

• The high internal and external surface area of BRZ™(@25m²/g) exceeds that of quartz
  by more than 10 times.

• BRZ™ pore space permeability for water transmission through the grains or fragments
  is 100% compared to non-permeable quartz grains.

• BRZ™ will tend to make slightly acidic (e.g. pH - 5.5-6.0) water more near neutral.

• The amount, or layer thickness of BRZ™ in the filtration systems can be much thinner
  (smaller volume) than quartz sand systems - because of the high “surface area and
  pore space” of BRZ.

• BRZ™ fragments tend to be discoid shaped, rather than round, thus presenting a large
  surface area (per unit of mass) (see diagram below).

• The density of 2-4 mm granules of BRZ™ is about 55-60 lb/ft³, which is about half of that
  of quartz grains of similar size. Thus the volume of one ton of BRZ™ is twice that of
  quartz sand.

WATER PATHS FOR QUARTZ VERSUS ZEOLITE IN FILTRATION

• Mineral:          Natural Zeolite primarily clinoptilolite (see spec sheet)

• Size:               14 x 40 mesh

• Weight:           55 pounds per cubic foot

• Sieve analysis: Uniformly coefficient 1.8

• GRAS:             Classified “GRAS” generally regarded as safe
                                       under (21 CFR Part 182.2729; 40 CFR Part 180.1001)

• Surface Area:            Surface area 24.9 square meters/gm

• Porosity:         High porosity, irregular surface

• Moisture:       Holds 55% of its weight in water

• Hydrophilic:

• NSF:                Zeolite based drinking water treatment product ANSI/NSF Standard 61

• Hardness:      Low clay, hard, abrasion resistant

• Availability:    Sold under the label “ChemSorb® Filter Granules” (BRZ™)
                          www.filterflowtech.com

COMPARISON OF ZEOLITE FILTER PERFORMANCE VS CONVENTIONAL MEDIA:
Pressure Vessels

COMPARISON OF ZEOLITE FILTER PERFORMANCE VS CONVENTIONAL MEDIA:
Gravity Flow Beds

• BETTER FILTRATE CLARITY. Typical sand/anthracite filter beds have a 12 to 15 micron nominal filter rating. BRZ™ typically would have a nominal filer rating of less than 5 microns.
  This property greatly reduces the effluent turbidity, generally measured in national turbidity
  units (NTUs).
   

• INCREASED FLOW RATES IN GRAVITY SYSTEMS. In a sand/anthracite filter media
  system the flow rate is typically 1.2 to 2.0 gpm per square foot. In a BRZ™ filter media
  system, the flow rate is typically in the 4.0 gpm per square foot range.
   

• INCREASED FLOW RATES IN PRESSURE VESSEL SYSTEMS.  In a sand/anthracite pressure vessel filter system the flow rates are typically 6 to 7 gpm per square foot.
  In a BRZ™ pressure vessel filter system the flow rates are typically in the 12 to 15 (and sometimes 20) gpm per square foot range.
   

• LOWER CAPITAL REQUIREMENT TO INCREASE FILTRATION CAPACITY. Generally,
  the capacity of a filter plant can be doubled with no increase in the plant by switching the
  filter media to BRZ™.
   

• FEWER BACKWASH CYCLES.  BRZ™ requires only one half of the backwash cycles
  that are required by sand/anthracite.
   

• LESS BACKWASH WATER. The fewer backwash cycles generally cut the amount of
  backwash water by one third to one half. This means treating less backwash water and
  greater plant capacity.
   

• GREATER LOADING DUE TO GREATER SURFACE AREA. BRZ™ generally has
  6 to 7 times the surface area as sand. This makes BRZ a much better filter media with
  greater holding capacity.
   

• REMOVAL OF HEAVY METAL CATIONS, NITROGEN, CHLORAMINES, CERTAIN ORGANIC HYDROCARBONS, AND MANY OTHER CONTAMINANTS.
   

• LONG FILTER BED LIFE. The anticipated filter bed life of BRZ™ is 10 years.
   

• LAND APPLICATION OF SPENT BRZ FILTER BED. Under most conditions,
  BRZ™ filter bed can be applied to lawns and gardens as soil amendments.
   

• SIMPLER HANDLING Zeolite, monomedia, beds simplify materials handling, shipments
  and bed loading.
   

• BETTER CLEANING Active, dynamic, bed tumbling and mixing during backwash
  efficiently cleans bed granules.

• Sand/anthracite and multimedia bed replacement

• Surface and ground water filtration.

• Economical filter beds upstream to RO and Nano-membranes.

Physical filtration barriers for accumulation or collection of microorganisms in water that endanger human health have been in focus during the last several years. BRZ will be an ideal collector of pathogens such as Giardia, cryptosporidium,  and other bacteria and their spores. Most of these organisms and their spores are in the size range of 0.5-10 micrometers (microns). In contrast, the water permeable pores in BRZ are mostly smaller than .05 microns; therefore the zeolite fragment
or granule can “surface collect” a high percentage of these microorganisms while the water
passes through the zeolite fragment.

The U.S. drinking water standards for microorganism pathogens, and turbidity can be most easily
met using a natural, relatively low-cost material, such as BRZ rather than ”sand” which is chiefly
quartz grains.

Figure 1. SEM photomicrograph of a Bear River Zeolite granule (ChemSorbŇ Filter
Granules) showing micromineral, projections on the surface. [Note the 10m calibration
bar at the upper left]. The micro-projects effectively trap suspended solids in water.

Figure 2. High magnification (SEM) of a Bear River Zeolite granule (ChemSorbŇ Filter Granule) showing detail of the mineral, micro-projections. [Note the calibration bar at
the upper left].