kSIST FprEN 878:2026

• Abstract:

  This document is applicable to aluminium sulfate used for treatment of water intended for human consumption. It describes the characteristics of aluminium sulfate and specifies the requirements for aluminium sulfate and gives reference to the analytical methods. It gives information on its use in water treatment. It also specifies the rules relating to safe handling (Annex B) and describes the use of aluminium sulfate (see Annex A).

• Status: Not Published
• Public Enquiry End Date: 15-Oct-2025
• ICS: 13.060.20 - Drinking water
• ICS: 71.100.80 - Chemicals for purification of water
• Technical Committee: IOVO - Water supply and waste water engineering
• Current Stage: 5020 - Formal vote (FV) (Adopted Project)
• Start Date: 28-Aug-2026
• Due Date: 16-Oct-2026
• Completion Date: 02-Sep-2026
• Ref Project: FprEN 878 - Chemicals used for treatment of water intended for human consumption - Aluminium sulfate

• Revises: SIST EN 878:2016 - Chemicals used for treatment of water intended for human consumption - Aluminium sulfate
• Effective Date: 19-Jan-2023

kSIST FprEN 878:2026 is a draft European Standard from CEN for aluminium sulfate used to treat water intended for human consumption. It specifies the product's identification, physical and chemical characteristics, purity criteria, test methods, labelling, transport, storage and safety information for manufacturers, suppliers, water-treatment operators and buyers.

What does kSIST FprEN 878:2026 specify?

kSIST FprEN 878:2026 applies to aluminium sulfate used for treatment of water intended for human consumption. It describes the substance, sets purity and handling requirements, and points to the analytical methods used to check it.

The document is organised into Scope, Normative references, Terms and definitions, Description, Purity criteria, Test methods, and Labelling - Transportation - Storage, followed by informative Annex A and normative Annex B.

Annex	What it covers
Annex A	General information on aluminium sulfate, including origin, manufacture, quality, use, dose, application and side effects
Annex B	General safety rules, including first aid, spill response and fire guidance

What are the key requirements of kSIST FprEN 878:2026?

Product identity and form

kSIST FprEN 878:2026 identifies the substance as aluminium sulfate, with common names, formula information, registry numbers and EINECS reference. It also recognises both solid hydrated forms and aqueous solutions, so a purchaser can match the specification to the actual supply form.

Purity and composition

kSIST FprEN 878:2026 requires the active matter, expressed as aluminium content, to stay within the manufacturer's declared value tolerance. It also sets limits for impurities and insoluble matter, and it separates chemical parameters into three types in Table 6. In practice, this is the part used to decide whether a grade is suitable for a drinking water treatment application and what trace metals need checking.

Testing and verification

kSIST FprEN 878:2026 sends sampling and analytical work to EN 1302. That means laboratories use the companion analytical standard rather than inventing their own method, which keeps acceptance testing consistent between suppliers and users.

Delivery, labelling and storage

kSIST FprEN 878:2026 requires delivery in suitable packages or corrosion-resistant bulk systems, and containers must not have been used for another product unless they have been cleaned and prepared. The labelling clause ties the product to EU classification and labelling rules, including different hazard information for solid hydrated forms and solutions. It also calls for storage in corrosion-resistant tanks, above 0 °C, and away from alkaline substances and incompatible coagulants or metal salts.

Use and safety

Annex A describes aluminium sulfate as a coagulant, usually applied as a solution with mixing at the point of addition, and notes effects such as lower pH, lower alkalinity and higher sulfate. Annex B gives the safety actions for skin, eye, inhalation and ingestion incidents, plus spill and fire guidance. For users, this is the practical operating note for dosing, process control and incident response.

What terms does kSIST FprEN 878:2026 define?

kSIST FprEN 878:2026 uses the following technical terms and abbreviations in its clauses and annexes.

• Aluminium sulfate - the treatment chemical covered by the document, available as solid hydrated forms or as a solution.
• Active matter - the aluminium content used to express composition, dose and purity limits.
• Coagulant - the product role in which aluminium sulfate helps particles form removable flocs in water.
• Chemical Abstracts Service (CAS) Registry Number - the unique identifier used to pin down the exact chemical form.
• European Inventory of Existing Commercial Chemical Substances (EINECS) reference - the inventory identifier used for substance identity.
• Hydrated form - a form of the solid that includes water of crystallization, which matters for storage and transport behaviour.

Who uses kSIST FprEN 878:2026?

Water suppliers, treatment-plant operators, chemical manufacturers, laboratories, procurement teams and regulators use kSIST FprEN 878:2026. They use it to specify the product, check incoming lots, choose a suitable grade, set dosing and storage conditions, and document safety and labelling.

What changed in kSIST FprEN 878:2026 from the previous edition?

kSIST FprEN 878:2026 will supersede EN 878:2016. The European foreword states one significant technical difference: the information related to the Drinking Water Directive has been updated.

Which standards are used with kSIST FprEN 878:2026?

kSIST FprEN 878:2026 normatively references EN 1302, Chemicals used for treatment of water intended for human consumption - Aluminium-based coagulants - Analytical methods. Clause 6 relies on EN 1302 for sampling and for the analytical methods used to verify compliance.

What does the kSIST FprEN 878:2026 document contain?

kSIST FprEN 878:2026 contains identification data, commercial forms and physical property information, including tables for density, solubility and viscosity. It also contains purity tables for impurities and chemical parameters, and it separates the chemical parameters into three types.

The document then adds practical handling content: packaging, hazard labelling, transport, marking and storage. Annex A provides background on raw materials, manufacture, quality, application, treatment dose, secondary effects and the removal of excess product, including tables showing the likely impact on trace metal content. Annex B gives safety instructions for first aid, spills and fire, which supports site procedures, training and incident response.

SLOVENSKI STANDARD
oSIST prEN 878:2025
01-oktober-2025
Kemikalije, ki se uporabljajo za pripravo pitne vode - Aluminijev sulfat
Chemicals used for treatment of water intended for human consumption - Aluminium
sulfate
Produkte zur Aufbereitung von Wasser für den menschlichen Gebrauch -
Aluminiumsulfat
Produits chimiques utilisés pour le traitement de l'eau destinée à la consommation
humaine - Sulfate d'aluminium
Ta slovenski standard je istoveten z: prEN 878
ICS:
13.060.20 Pitna voda Drinking water
71.100.80 Kemikalije za čiščenje vode Chemicals for purification of
water
oSIST prEN 878:2025 en,fr,de
2003-01.Slovenski inštitut za standardizacijo. Razmnoževanje celote ali delov tega standarda ni dovoljeno.

oSIST prEN 878:2025
oSIST prEN 878:2025
DRAFT
EUROPEAN STANDARD
prEN 878
NORME EUROPÉENNE
EUROPÄISCHE NORM
July 2025
ICS 71.100.80 Will supersede EN 878:2016
English Version
Chemicals used for treatment of water intended for human
consumption - Aluminium sulfate
Produits chimiques utilisés pour le traitement de l'eau Produkte zur Aufbereitung von Wasser für den
destinée à la consommation humaine - Sulfate menschlichen Gebrauch - Aluminiumsulfat
d'aluminium
This draft European Standard is submitted to CEN members for enquiry. It has been drawn up by the Technical Committee
CEN/TC 164.
If this draft becomes a European Standard, CEN members are bound to comply with the CEN/CENELEC Internal Regulations
which stipulate the conditions for giving this European Standard the status of a national standard without any alteration.

This draft European Standard was established by CEN in three official versions (English, French, German). A version in any other
language made by translation under the responsibility of a CEN member into its own language and notified to the CEN-CENELEC
Management Centre has the same status as the official versions.

CEN members are the national standards bodies of Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia,
Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway,
Poland, Portugal, Republic of North Macedonia, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Türkiye and
United Kingdom.
Recipients of this draft are invited to submit, with their comments, notification of any relevant patent rights of which they are
aware and to provide supporting documentation.

Warning : This document is not a European Standard. It is distributed for review and comments. It is subject to change without
notice and shall not be referred to as a European Standard.

EUROPEAN COMMITTEE FOR STANDARDIZATION
COMITÉ EUROPÉEN DE NORMALISATION

EUROPÄISCHES KOMITEE FÜR NORMUNG

CEN-CENELEC Management Centre: Rue de la Science 23, B-1040 Brussels
© 2025 CEN All rights of exploitation in any form and by any means reserved Ref. No. prEN 878:2025 E
worldwide for CEN national Members.

oSIST prEN 878:2025
prEN 878:2025 (E)
Contents Page
European foreword . 4
Introduction . 5
1 Scope . 6
2 Normative references . 6
3 Terms and definitions . 6
4 Description . 6
4.1 Identification . 6
4.1.1 Chemical name . 6
4.1.2 Synonym or common names . 6
4.1.3 Relative molecular mass . 6
4.1.4 Empirical formula . 6
4.1.5 Chemical formula . 7
)
4.1.6 CAS Registry Number . 7
)
4.1.7 EINECS reference . 7
4.2 Commercial forms . 7
4.3 Physical properties . 7
4.3.1 Appearance . 7
4.3.2 Density . 7
4.3.3 Solubility . 8
4.3.4 Vapour pressure at 20 °C . 8
)
4.3.5 Boiling point at 100 kPa . 8
4.3.6 Crystallization point . 8
4.3.7 Specific heat . 8
4.3.8 Viscosity (dynamic) . 8
4.3.9 Critical temperature . 9
4.3.10 Critical pressure . 9
4.3.11 Physical hardness . 9
4.4 Chemical properties . 9
5 Purity criteria . 9
5.1 General . 9
5.2 Composition of commercial product .10
5.3 Impurities and main by-products .10
5.4 Chemical parameters .10
6 Test methods .11
6.1 Sampling .11
6.2 Analyses .11
7 Labelling - Transportation - Storage .11
7.1 Means of delivery .11
)
7.2 Labelling in accordance with the EU legislation .11
7.3 Transportation regulations and labelling .12
7.4 Marking .13
7.5 Storage .13
7.5.1 General .13
7.5.2 Long term stability .13
oSIST prEN 878:2025
prEN 878:2025 (E)
7.5.3 Storage incompatibilities . 13
Annex A (informative) General information on aluminium sulfate . 14
A.1 Origin . 14
A.1.1 Raw materials . 14
A.1.2 Manufacturing process . 14
A.2 Quality of commercial product . 14
A.3 Use . 16
A.3.1 Function . 16
A.3.2 Form in which it is used . 16
A.3.3 Treatment dose . 16
A.3.4 Means of application. 16
A.3.5 Secondary effects . 16
A.3.6 Removal of excess product . 16
Annex B (normative) General rules relating to safety . 17
B.1 Rules for safe handling and use . 17
B.2 Emergency procedures . 17
B.2.1 First aid . 17
B.2.2 Spillage . 17
B.2.3 Fire . 17
Bibliography . 18

oSIST prEN 878:2025
prEN 878:2025 (E)
European foreword
This document (prEN 878:2025) has been prepared by Technical Committee CEN/TC 164 “Water supply”, the
secretariat of which is held by AFNOR.
This document is currently submitted to the CEN Enquiry.
This document will supersede EN 878:2016.
Significant technical differences between this edition prEN 878:2025 and EN 878:2016 are as follows:
a) update of information related to Drinking Water Directive.

oSIST prEN 878:2025
prEN 878:2025 (E)
Introduction
In respect of potential adverse effects on the quality of water intended for human consumption, caused by the
product covered by this document:
1) this document provides no information as to whether the product may be used without restriction in any
of the Member States of the EU or EFTA;
2) it should be noted that, while awaiting the adoption of verifiable European criteria, existing national
regulations concerning the use and/or the characteristics of this product remain in force.
NOTE Conformity with this document does not confer or imply acceptance or approval of the product in any of the
Member States of the EU or EFTA. The use of the product covered by this document is subject to regulation or control by
National Authorities.
oSIST prEN 878:2025
prEN 878:2025 (E)
1 Scope
This document is applicable to aluminium sulfate used for treatment of water intended for human
consumption. It describes the characteristics of aluminium sulfate and specifies the requirements for
aluminium sulfate and gives reference to the analytical methods. It gives information on its use in water
treatment. It also determines the rules relating to safe handling (Annex B) and use of aluminium sulfate (see
Annex A).
2 Normative references
The following documents, in whole or in part, are normatively referenced in this document and are
indispensable for its application. For dated references, only the edition cited applies. For undated references,
the latest edition of the referenced document (including any amendments) applies.
EN 1302, Chemicals used for treatment of water intended for human consumption — Aluminium-based
coagulants — Analytical methods
3 Terms and definitions
No terms and definitions are listed in this document.
ISO and IEC maintain terminology databases for use in standardization at the following addresses:
— ISO Online browsing platform: available at https://www.iso.org/obp
— IEC Electropedia: available at https://www.electropedia.org/
4 Description
4.1 Identification
4.1.1 Chemical name
Aluminium sulfate.
4.1.2 Synonym or common names
Aluminium sulfate, cake alum, alum.
NOTE In English the generic term “alum” is imprecise and is deprecated and in German the term “Alaun” is
misleading, as “alumn”/”Alaun” is a kalium aluminium sulfate salt.
4.1.3 Relative molecular mass
342,14 for Al (SO ) .
...