Is Activated Carbon Still the Best Way to Remove BTEX?
OrganiClear™ & IxMZ™ Rechargeable Media
There is a better way to remove BTEX, VOCs, and other hydrophobic organic contaminants from water.
For decades, granular activated carbon (GAC) has been the industry standard for treating dissolved hydrocarbons. But today’s operators face rising media costs, recurring change-outs, transportation expenses, and increasing pressure to reduce operating costs.
OrganiClear™ from IX Water uses IxMZ™, our commercial implementation of the Los Alamos-developed surfactant-modified zeolite (SMZ) technology, to provide a regenerable alternative for many hydrocarbon treatment applications.
Three Reasons Engineers Are Looking Beyond Liquid-Phase GAC
1. Designed for Regeneration, Not Replacement
Liquid-phase granular activated carbon (GAC) often becomes a recurring logistics exercise—removing spent media, shipping it for regeneration or disposal, and bringing replacement media back to the site.
OrganiClear™ and its IxMZ media were designed around a different philosophy. LANL research demonstrated repeated regeneration using ambient-temperature air sparging while maintaining BTEX treatment performance over multiple sorption/regeneration cycles.
Then IX Water put in the field to prove it. After dozens installations we have the proof that IxMZ can be recharged, inside its OrganiClear reactor, hundreds of times.
For many applications, that means less media handling and a treatment process built around regeneration rather than routine replacement.
2. Built on Proven Research—Commercialized Through Field Experience
OrganiClear™ and its IxMZ™ media are not experimental.
Both are based on surfactant-modified zeolite (SMZ) technology developed through years of research by Los Alamos National Laboratory, New Mexico Tech, and the University of Texas. Those studies demonstrated effective BTEX removal, successful field-scale operation, and repeatable regeneration.
IX Water licensed this foundational technology and has continued its commercial development as IxMZ™, incorporating years of practical operating experience into complete treatment systems.
When you work with IX Water, you’re not simply purchasing media—you are working with a company focused on regenerable hydrocarbon treatment systems.
3. Rethink Lifecycle Costs—Not Just Media Cost
The purchase price of treatment media is only one part of the equation.
Engineers increasingly evaluate treatment technologies based on:
- Media replacement frequency
- Transportation
- Downtime
- Labor
- Waste handling
- Regeneration requirements
- Long-term operating cost
For many BTEX and VOC applications, these lifecycle considerations may have a greater impact on total treatment cost than the initial media purchase.
That’s why many organizations are beginning to ask a different question: Is liquid-phase activated carbon still the best process for this application?
Let’s Talk About Your Water
Every water chemistry is different.
The best treatment solution depends on contaminants, concentrations, flow rate, discharge requirements, and operating objectives.
If you’re evaluating alternatives to activated carbon for BTEX, VOCs, or similar dissolved organic contaminants, we’d welcome the opportunity to review your application.
Have a BTEX or VOC treatment challenge?
We’ll review your water chemistry, flow rate, and treatment goals and provide an initial engineering assessment—at no obligation.
Every water chemistry is different. We routinely evaluate whether OrganiClear™, GAC, or a hybrid treatment approach provides the best overall lifecycle value.
Contact IX Water
+1 303-277-9520
Sales at IxWater dot com
OrganiClear is IX Power Clean Water’s module for removing volatile and semi-volatile organic compounds (VOCs and SVOCs). Dissolved and emulsified organic hydrocarbons are trapped via adsorption and then converted to innocuous by-products (CO2 and water) via IxMZ media. These compounds include dissolved hydrocarbons (BTEX), polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), and NPD (naphthalenes, phenanthrenes, dibenzothiophenes).
IxMZ used in OrganiClear is a specially manufactured clinoptilolite modified with an innocuous surfactant. This ensures not only the appropriate capture of organic hydrocarbons (including BTEX) but also ensures the media can be field recharged via air.
Periodic recharge of the media is accomplished with an integrated and automated air sparging system, where contaminants are trapped for disposal.