Aluminium hydroxide is a primary material in the making of activated alumina balls. This primary material is dehydroxylated to generate a porous material with a surface area of more than 200 mg. As it is highly porous, it can absorb the water from the air, thus used as a desiccant. It is also used to filter drinking water and removes fluoride, arsenic and selenium. The other significant use of activated alumina balls is to use them as catalyst. This material also plays an essential role in drying polyester chips and PET.