NORTHBOROUGH, MA, Jan. 7, 2004 -- SolmeteX Inc. has developed a new breakthrough nanotechnology for the removal of arsenic from drinking water. Known as ArsenXnp® the new patent-pending technology has demonstrated its capacity and effectiveness in extensive field trials conducted in the U.S. Southwest.
ArsenXnp will be manufactured by Purolite, which is the second largest manufacturer of ion exchange resins globally, producing over 500 different resins and adsorbents for a variety of water treatment and specialty applications. ArsenXnp will be manufactured at Purolite's Philadelphia facility and will complement a number of selective resins Purolite offers for groundwater remediation applications such nitrate, perchlorate and hexavalent chrome removal, to name a few. Under the agreement, Purolite will market the ArsenXnp worldwide using its extensive sales network that currently sells product in over 100 countries.
Largely the result of minerals dissolving from weathered rocks and soils, arsenic is widely distributed throughout the crust of the earth. Absolutely tasteless and odorless, arsenic is highly toxic and carcinogenic. Long-term exposure to arsenic via drinking water has been proven to cause cancer of the skin, lungs, urinary tract, bladder, and kidney.
In the United States, there are over 4,000 municipalities that have drinking water with higher arsenic levels than the current maximum contaminant limit (MCL) of 10 micrograms per liter, i.e., 10 parts per billion (ppb). Additionally, it's estimated that 14 million American homes with private wells currently exceed the current maximum contaminant level which will become effective in January 2006.
According to SolmeteX CEO, Owen Boyd, ArsenXnp has shown tremendous capacity, combining all of the well-known benefits of ion exchange media with the scientifically proven performance features of granular iron media. "The main advantages of ArsenXnp are the fact that it's highly selective for arsenic and requires no backwashing due to the durability of the polymer support. That translates to long operational life and a system that it is very simple to use," states Boyd. ArsenXnp is NSF-61 approved for use in potable drinking water systems.
About SolmeteX
SolmeteX (www.solmetex.com) is a Massachusetts-based, privately owned company. Its core business is the development and manufacture of specialized technologies for the safe and economical removal of metal and metal complexes from water. Launched in 1994, SolmeteX holds numerous patents, and has been the recipient of several awards for their efforts in helping companies worldwide reduce contamination. Aside from arsenic removal from drinking water, SolmeteX technologies also are used for removal of arsenic from semiconductor waste and water used in cooling towers. SolmeteX has long been a leading developer of mercury removal technology from dental waste, medical waste, medical waste incinerators, clinical analyzer waste, ground water, and laboratory waste.
About Purolite
Purolite Corp. (www.puroliteusa.com) was established in 1982 through the purchase of an ion exchange facility in south Wales, United Kingdom. Since then, it has become one of the biggest players in the global ion exchange resins market with an established network of sales offices, distributors and agents as well as factories in Philadelphia; Victoria, Romania, and Chengguan, China, and the UK. The Romanian site, opened in 1997, is a state-of-the-art production facility, representing a $40 million investment in the future. The company's U.S. operations are based out of Bala Cynwyd, Pa., near Philadelphia.
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