To work properly, the greensand must be regenerated at periodic intervals based on water usage and contaminant concentration. When greensand is used to treat high concentrations of hydrogen sulfide, more frequent regeneration with potassium permanganate is required. The consumer must buy the potassium permanganate and load it into the feeder or solution tank, which typically dispenses the chemical automatically at predefined intervals. Although hydrogen sulfide can be effectively oxidized by manganese greensand, a prechlorination step is recommended to oxidize most of the hydrogen sulfide and lengthen the life span of the manganese greensand filter. Otherwise, the filter may become clogged by the solid sulfur particles and it will need more frequent replacement or regeneration.
Manganese greensand is available in both natural and synthetic forms.
The synthetic gel removes as much contaminant as does the natural greensand, but the synthetic requires less backwash water and also softens the water while it removes the hydrogen sulfide. Aeration Another common treatment for sulfur water is aeration. The undesired hydrogen sulfide is removed as a volatile gas by venting it into a waste pipe or to the outdoors. At higher concentrations, this method may not remove all of the offensive odor unless the air is used to oxidize hydrogen sulfide chemically into solid sulfur, which is then filtered. In a typical aeration system, ambient air is introduced into the water using an air compressor or blower.