✅ What is Greensand Plus
Greensand Plus is a specialty filter media — black granular sand — used for water filtration.
It consists of a silica-sand (or silica-core) media whose surface is coated with manganese dioxide. This coating acts as a catalyst: as water passes through, dissolved iron and manganese (and sometimes hydrogen sulfide, arsenic, radium etc.) are oxidized and precipitate, then are trapped by the filter.
Compared with traditional "manganese greensand" (which uses glauconite as a core), Greensand Plus has improved durability, better stability in waters with low hardness/low dissolved solids, and better tolerance for higher pressure and temperature.
💧 What Greensand Plus Removes / When It’s Used
Greensand Plus is used to remove from water — especially well water or groundwater — contaminants such as:
Dissolved iron (Fe²⁺) and manganese (Mn²⁺)
Hydrogen sulfide (H₂S) (which causes rotten-egg smell)
In some cases: arsenic, radium and other trace contaminants present in groundwater.
If water has these problems (iron or manganese causing stains, metallic taste, sulfur odor etc.), Greensand Plus is often chosen as the filter media of a whole-house or well-water iron removal filter.
🔄 How it Works — Operation & Regeneration
The manganese dioxide coating on Greensand Plus catalyzes the oxidation of dissolved iron / manganese. Once oxidized, these precipitated particles are trapped in the filter media.
For continuous removal of iron/manganese, the filter media requires oxidant regeneration. In many systems this means chlorination (e.g. with chlorine feed upstream of the media filter) — the chlorine oxidizes contaminants and “recharges” the media’s catalytic surface.
Alternatively (in some setups), traditional regeneration with potassium permanganate (KMnO₄) is used — especially if you don’t use a continuous chlorine feed.
Backwash cycles are required: after a period of filtration, the filter must be back-washed to flush out precipitated particles so the media bed remains effective.
✅ Pros — What Greensand Plus Does Well
High efficiency in removing iron, manganese, hydrogen sulfide, and even some trace contaminants from groundwater.
More robust and stable than older “manganese greensand” — better tolerance to variable water chemistries (low TDS, low hardness, low silica) and higher pressures/temperatures.
Can be used in different filter configurations — pressure filters (vertical or horizontal), gravity filters, or multimedia filter systems.
⚠️ Limitations / What to Check Before Using
The water pH should be within a suitable range — typically pH ≈ 6.2–8.5 for best performance. If pH is too low, efficacy can drop.
Requires regular backwash/regeneration (chlorine feed or permanganate) to maintain catalytic surface for continuous iron/manganese removal.
Effectiveness depends on water composition: if water has hydrogen sulfide, arsenic, radium or other contaminants too high — performance may vary; design must be appropriate.
?unique=83ac5b5)
