Activated carbon fiber adsorbent for chloramine removal in household water systems

Overview

Chemica Technologies, Inc. has developed activated carbon fiber adsorbents that specifically target and remove toxic and persistent organic chemicals from drinking water. The technology is designed to reduce chloramine levels in household tap water from approximately 4 mg/L to 0.1 mg/L or lower within one hour, operating without back-pressure, waste stream generation, or chemical additives.

The adsorbents are particularly suited for applications such as home hemodialysis, where reliable removal of chloramines and other organic contaminants is critical for patient safety. The technology offers a practical solution for point-of-use water treatment where conventional separation methods fall short.

Technical specifications

Key features:

• Activated carbon fiber adsorbents specifically engineered for chloramine and persistent organic chemical removal
• Reduces chloramine levels from approximately 4 mg/L to 0.1 mg/L or lower within one hour
• Operates without back-pressure, eliminating the need for high-pressure systems
• Produces no waste stream, supporting environmentally friendly operation
• Requires no chemical additives during the treatment process
• Specially treated fiber surface minimizes unwanted reactions that produce chloride ions, ammonia, and nitrogen gas
• Highly resistant to bacterial growth and channeling effects
• Demonstrated up to 20X greater efficiency than quality granular activated carbon for removing over 20 tested organic chemicals from drinking water

How it works:

Chloramines are small, stable organic molecules that are difficult to remove using conventional separation technologies such as reverse osmosis or ion exchange resins. While granular activated carbon can adsorb chloramine, it often reacts to produce undesirable byproducts. Chemica's activated carbon fiber adsorbents are specially treated to minimize these reactions while maintaining high adsorption capacity, making them effective for rapid chloramine removal in cartridge-based household systems.

Technology readiness level

Chemica has conducted limited preliminary testing confirming effective chloramine removal by their adsorbents. The company has previously validated performance against over 20 organic chemicals, demonstrating significant efficiency advantages over granular activated carbon.

Future validation efforts include basic kinetic and isothermal binding studies using standard synthetic tap water, testing of multiple adsorbent types and cartridge configurations, development of sensitive colorimetric chloramine detection methods (verified by SIFT-MS), and monitoring of byproduct formation including chloride ions, ammonia, nitrogen gas, and bacterial growth. The technology is positioned for further development toward an optimized system for rapid chloramine removal in home hemodialysis applications.