Arsenic removal from drinking water by a “loose” nanofiltration membrane

The removal of arsenic from water by a “loose” nanofiltration (NF) membrane was investigated. Prior to the arsenic removal studies, the loose NF membrane was characterized for molecular weight cut-off and pore size by saccharide retention measurements, and electrokinetic charge by streaming potential measurements. In addition, separation of both single salt and mixed salt electrolyte solutions was studied to investigate the ion transport properties of the membrane. Arsenic rejection experiments included variation of pH, arsenic feed concentration, and presence of background electrolyte. In general, arsenic rejection increased with increasing pH and arsenic feed concentration, and was enhanced in the presence of 0.01 M NaCl. Arsenic was removed 60–90% from synthetic feed waters containing 10, 32, 100, and 316 μg/L As(V), resulting in permeate arsenic concentrations of 4, 6, 10, and 25μg/L, respectively. The behavior of the membrane is consistent with the extended Nernst-Planck equation model predictions for an uncharged membrane where size exclusion controls ion retention. However, separation of Arsenic species was a due to a combination of size exclusion, preferential passage of more mobile ions, and charge exclusion.     

Characterization procedure for adsorption of DOC (Dissolved Organic Carbon) from synthetic wastewater

A characterization method to evaluate the composition of background organic matters in terms of adsorbability was presented and applied to synthetic and domestic wastewater. The binomial distribution of DOC (Dissolved Organic Carbon) fraction in relation of a characterizing variable, the Freundlich coefficient, k, was proposed to describe the initial composition of wastewater by a finite number of pseudospecies. This method was tested for removal of DOC by using granular and powdered activated carbons. These experiments enable us to get information on the distribution function of species in the solution. From the results obtained in this work, kinetic experimental data were predicted on the assumption that the diffusion coefficients were unchanged during the experiments. It was confirmed to be effective in determining the initial composition and describing the equilibria of the DOC. From the experiments, it was found that this synthetic solution has a sigmoid type isotherm on activated carbons. This implies that there are two different adsorption regions in a system, favourable and unfavourable cases, depending on the solution concentration. This unfamiliar problem can be solved by using a characterization method based on IAST-Freundlich model.     

饮用水中摇蚊幼虫的臭氧灭活及其臭氧-活性炭工艺协同去除

进行了臭氧、二氧化氯和液氯灭活低龄期摇蚊幼虫的对比试验,对影响臭氧灭活效果的主要因素进行了考察,在此基础上,探讨了臭氧-活性炭工艺去除水中摇蚊幼虫的可行性.研究表明：与其他两种化学氧化剂相比,臭氧对滤后水中的低龄期摇蚊幼虫具有更显著的灭活作用,臭氧投加量1.0 mg•L^-1,接触25 min可以达到100%的灭活率;增加臭氧反应器水深有利于提高灭活率,在水质中性条件,COD_Mn对灭活效果影响较大.动态试验中,臭氧投加量1.0 mg•L^-1,接触11 min,臭氧对滤后水中的低龄期摇蚊幼虫可以达到100%灭活率;投加量0.8 mg•L^-1,臭氧-活性炭工艺的协同作用可以完全去除水中生物活性减低的摇蚊幼虫.     

Development of solid-phase microextraction for the determination of trihalomethanes in drinking water from Bizerte, Tunisia

Headspace-solid-phase microextraction (HS-SPME) combined with gas chromatography-electron capture detector (GC-ECD) has been developed and studied for the determination of trihalomethanes (THMs) in treated water samples. Experimental parameters such as the selection of thickness of the polymer coating, addition of salt, magnetic stirring, extraction temperature, and extraction time were studied. Extraction of the analytes was performed using HS-SPME with a 100 µm poly(dimethylsiloxane) coating followed by thermal desorption at 250 °C and GC analysis. The optimized conditions were 20 min extraction time at 35 °C with 25 w/v% NaCl. Analytical parameters such as linearity and limit of detection were also evaluated. The linear range of 1-100 µg/l was established with relative standard deviations (%RSD) within the range, 1.3-11.7%. The limits of detection (LODs) were ranged from 1.4 ng/l to 6.1 ng/l. The average THM concentration was 88.16 µg/l which was well within the proposed European Union directive of 100 µg/l.     

As(III) removal from drinking water using manganese oxide-coated-alumina: Performance evaluation and mechanistic details of surface binding

This paper describes the arsenite [As(III)] removal performance of manganese oxide-coated-alumina (MOCA) and its interaction with As(III) in drinking water. MOCA was characterized by XRD, SEM, EDAX, gas adsorption porosimetry, and point of zero charge (pH_pzc) measurements. Raman spectroscopy coupled with sorption experiments were carried out to understand the As(III) interaction with MOCA. As(III) sorption onto MOCA was pH dependent and the optimum removal was observed between a pH of 4 and 7.5. The Sips isotherm model described the experimental equilibrium data well and the predicted maximum As(III) sorption capacity was 42.48 mg g⁻¹, which is considerably higher than that of activated alumina (20.78 mg g⁻¹). The sorption kinetics followed a pseudo-second-order equation. Based on sorption and spectroscopic measurements, the mechanism of As(III) removal by MOCA was found to be a two-step process, i.e. oxidation of As(III) to arsenate (As(V)) and retention of As(V) on MOCA surface, with As(V) forming an inner surface complex with MOCA. The results of this study indicated that MOCA is a promising alternative sorbent for As(III) removal from drinking water.     

Enhanced fluoride removal from drinking water by magnesia-amended activated alumina granules

This paper describes the fluoride removal potential of a novel sorbent, magnesia-amended activated alumina (MAAA) from drinking water. MAAA, prepared by calcining magnesium hydroxide impregnated alumina at 450 °C has shown high fluoride sorption potential than activated alumina from drinking water. Batch sorption studies were performed as a function of contact time, pH, initial fluoride concentration, and adsorbent dose. Studies were also performed to understand the effect of various other co-existing ions present in real ground water samples. X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscope (SEM), energy dispersive X-ray (EDAX) and a gas adsorption porosimetry analyses were used to characterize the physicochemical properties of MAAA. More than 95% removal of fluoride (10 mg l⁻¹) was achieved within 3 h of contact time at neutral pH. Sorption of fluoride onto MAAA was found to be pH dependant and a decrease in sorption was observed at higher pHs. Among the kinetic models tested, pseudo-second-order model fitted the kinetic data well, suggesting the chemisorption mechanism. Among the various isotherm model tested, Sips model predicted the data well. The maximum sorption capacity of fluoride deduced from Sips equation was 10.12 mg g⁻¹. Most of the co-existing ions studied have negligible effect on fluoride sorption by MAAA. However, higher concentrations of bicarbonate and sulfate have reduced the fluoride sorption capacity.     

活性炭表面含氧官能团对水中卤乙酸吸附去除的影响

为了改善极性、亲水性卤乙酸(HAAs)分子在非极性、疏水性活性炭上的吸附性能,利用N₂等温吸附实验、X射线光电子能谱实验（XPS）、HAAs等温吸附实验等方法,对几种不同产地的活性炭孔隙结构、表面元素形态结构组成,以及HAAs吸附性能进行了研究,考察了活性炭孔结构及含氧官能团对HAAs吸附性能的影响.活性炭表面含氧官能团对HAAs的吸附性能影响显著,当活性炭表面含氧官能团组成较小时,其HAAs吸附能力较强.     

Nitrate removal of brackish underground water by chemical adsorption and by electrodialysis

Nitrate content has increased in Morocco, especially in underground water of agrarian areas. Several processes including degradation processes and separation processes can remove nitrate from water. Two separating processes were studied to remove nitrate from brackish underground water: adsorption on industrial animal waste and electrodialysis equipped by anion monovalent membrane. The results show that a desired product water quality can easily be obtained by electrodialysis contrary to chemical adsorption which requires a great reactional surface.     

The removal of bisphenol A by hollow fiber microfiltration membrane

The removal of bisphenol A (BPA) from drinking water by hollow fiber microfiltration (MF) membrane using dead-end model was investigated. The experiment was focused on the effect of various factors including BPA initial concentration, pH, ionic strength and organic matter on removal efficiency. Adsorption plays a significant role in BPA removal in MF filtration. The results showed that MF could remove BPA effectively. A higher removal was obtained at the beginning of the filtration, and the removal efficiency decreased to around 20% when the membrane became saturated due to adsorption of BPA onto the MF membrane. As pH of solution approached to pKa (9.6-11.3) of BPA, BPA removal efficiency dropped significantly. The effect of ionic strength on BPA removal was negligible. The presence of natural organic matter (NOM) demonstrated no observable impact on BPA removal. After filtration, the backwash could recover removal efficiency effectively.     

离子交换去除饮用水中有机物的研究进展

近年来国外去除饮用水中有机物的方法有混凝澄清、活性炭吸附、膜分离以及离子交换法等,其中离子交换法可有效地去除饮用水常规处理产生的消毒副产物--低分子有机物.进而从离子交换树脂的本身特征、水质特征和有机化合物特征3方面详细讨论了离子交换去除饮用水中有机物的影响因素.     

Study of drinking water treatment by ultrafiltration of surface water and its application to China

In China, many water supplies depend on conventional water treatment. Due to unfit soil and water conservationin some regions of China, conventional water treatment has showed some defects for the poor quality of water resource. In addition, advances in membrane technology and increasing requirements on water quality have stimulated ultrafiltration (UF) for water treatment. In this research, OF test apparatus was set up to produce drinking water from raw water of the Binxian Reservoir (China). The performance of UF membranes was investigated. There was a linear relationship between membrane resistance and accumulated permeate water. Using coagulation before OF increased permeate flux and retarded membrane flux decline. Surprisingly, membrane permeate flux in a coagulation/UF process was higher than that in coagulation-sand filtration-UF process with raw water of medium turbidity. OF treatment provided effective turbidity removal. Iron, manganese and aluminum were removed completely. The UF membrane also perfectly removed all coliform bacteria. The reduction of total organic carbon was satisfactory. The treated water quality complied with China's drinking water guidelines. The Ames test showed that the mutagenic activities of membrane permeate water was negative.     

Dewatering of drinking water treatment sludge by vacuum electro-osmosis

The objective of this research was to evaluate the dewatering of drinking water treatment sludge (DWTS) by vacuum electro-osmosis dewatering (VEOD) technology. DWTS has a high moisture content, with the water existing as free water, pore water, surface adhesion water and internal combined water. Vacuum filtration of 0.05 MPa can quickly dewater sludge and has low energy consumption, but can only remove free water and some pore water. The moisture content of the DWTS was reduced to below 79% by vacuum filtration technique alone. At this moisture content, all free water had been expelled by vacuum filtration. Electro-osmosis optimized for the experimental conditions (0.05 MPa, 2.5 V/cm) began after vacuum filtration ceased, and drew pore water and surface adhesion water to the cathode, where it was expelled through vacuum filtration. The VEOD process removed all free water. In addition, pore water and surface adhesion water were reduced by 60.2% and 15.9%, respectively.     

Direct drinking water treatment by spiral-wound ultrafiltration membranes

This paper presents the results of a research on direct drinking water treatment through an ultrafiltration pilot plant unit using spiral-wound membranes (3500 MWCO). The source of water is the Guarapiranga Reservoir, an eutrophicated water body located in the metropolitan region of São Paulo, Brazil. The data were collected during a period of almost 3400 h, from August 2005 to January 2006. The main objective of the study was to evaluate the membrane production capacity and contaminant removal efficiency. It was verified that the system was able to produce a high quality permeate with a flow close to the specified by the membrane manufacturer. The average permeate flow was 19.7 L.h⁻¹.m⁻², at 467 kPa and 25°C, with a global water recovery of almost 85%. The removal efficiencies for TOC, UV light absorption, and turbidity were 85%, 56%, and 95%, respectively. The results provide substantial evidence of the technical feasibility of spiral-wound UF membranes for direct drinking water treatment from euthrophicated sources, as an alternative for conventional drinking water treatment systems.     

Biodergradability and GAC Adsorbability of Micropollutants by Preozonation

In order to evaluate the effect of preozonation on GAC adsorbability and biodegradability and to discuss the performance of BAC, three kinds of batch experiments have been conducted, using humic acid as the test substance. Conclusively, it is recognized that preozonation evidently improves the biodegradability of humic acid, but the equilibrium adsorption constant k, is not changed. However, the adsorption rate is greatly improved. Based on these results and continuous experiments, the characteristics of the removal mechanism of organics by a BAC filter and a GAC filter are compared.     

磁性离子交换树脂强化水源中有机物去除性能研究

在调查某水厂水源水质及传统工艺处理效能的基础上,对比探讨了粉末活性炭和磁性离子交换树脂分别以预吸附、预吸附-混凝、混凝沉淀-吸附等不同工艺对水源水中溶解性有机物的去除效能,确定了最佳工艺。该水源存在季节性有机物污染,亲水性有机质占比80%。水厂传统工艺对有机物的去除能力约20%~30%。与其他工艺相比,树脂预吸附-混凝对有机物的去除功效最好,DOC和UV254的去除率分别达到41.48%和80.0%,与单独强化混凝相比,该工艺可将DOC和UV254的去除效率分别提高17.7和35.49个百分点,且可减少86.67%的混凝剂投加量。Langmuir等温线模型和拟二级动力学方程可定量描述树脂吸附有机物平衡和动力学。磁性离子交换树脂预吸附可作为该水厂强化去除水源中溶解性有机物的可靠技术。     

Removal of hydrophilic pollutants from water with organic adsorption polymers: Part I. Adsorption behaviour of selected model compounds

The adsorbability of 2-aminonaphthalene-1-sulfonate, diuron, 1-naphthol and natural organic matter (NOM) onto an organic polymer resin and onto activated carbon was investigated. Isotherms with the substances alone and in the presence of dissolved NOM were measured. There was a good adsorbability of diuron and 1-naphthol on both sorbents. At low initial concentrations of the compounds the activated carbon showed higher adsorptivity, whereas for high initial concentrations the polymer resin showed an equal or better adsorption behaviour. 2-Aminonaphthalene-1-sulfonate and the NOM showed favorable adsorption behaviour to activated carbon but was only poorly adsorbed on the polymer resin. In the presence of NOM, the adsorbability of the single compounds decreased significantly on activated carbon. Nearly no influence was found for the adsorption of the pollutants on the resin. For the polymer resin, additionally, the breakthrough behaviour of the substances was investigated. The results obtained in the batch experiments for the single substances were confirmed. However, in the presence of NOM the breakthrough occurred at shorter times for all three substances. Regeneration of the resin with isopropanol proved to be a good cleaning method. A recovery of 92–96% of the substances was reached.     

Fouling characteristics of an ultrafiltration membrane used in drinking water treatment

The fouling characteristics of ultrafiltration membranes used in drinking water were investigated when used alone and when used in an integrated biofilter-membrane system to treat a humic-acid laden solution. Membrane strands from sacrificial modules operating in parallel with bench-scale modules were analysed from both systems (with and without pretreatment). Chemical and microbiological analyses were performed on these strands together with different process streams along the treatment train. Microscopic observations performed on the sacrificial membrane strands revealed that most of the fouling material was organic in nature with high numbers of viable microorganisms. When comparing their fouling characteristics, a positive effect from the biofilter was observed on the performance of the membrane with pretreatment, decreasing in general the amount of material deposited and reducing the fouling rate. Membranes were tested at two different permeate fluxes; this variable did not have an effect on the overall amount of material deposited, but it significantly impacted the membrane fouling rate.     

Response surface methodological approach to optimize the coagulation-flocculation process in drinking water treatment

Performing jar tests often requires carrying out a time consuming iteration procedure to find out the right amount of chemical for coagulation-flocculation process in water treatment plants. Applying the response surface method (RSM) in jar tests as an alternative to the conventional methods was investigated in this study. The purpose is finding out the optimum combination of coagulant dose and pH with respect to the highest removal efficiency of turbidity and dissolved organic carbon (DOC). The results achieved using poly-aluminum chloride (PACl) were compared to those achieved using conventional coagulant such as alum. The quadratic models developed for the two responses (turbidity removal and DOC removal) indicated that the optimum conditions to be PACl concentration of 0.11 mM at pH 7.4 and alum concentration of 0.15 mM at pH 6.6. Compromising to simultaneously optimize the two responses resulted in 91.4% turbidity removal and 31.2% DOC removal using PACl whereas 86.3% turbidity and 34.3% DOC were removed using alum. Confirmation of experimental results was found to be close to the prediction derived from the models. This demonstrates the benefits of the approach based on the RSM in achieving good predictions while minimizing the number of required experiments.     

饮用水脱硝酸盐催化剂的研究进展

催化加氢脱除饮用水中硝酸盐,具有反应条件温和、反应速度快、没有废水产生等特点,是一种非常有潜力的脱硝酸盐的高级水处理技术。该技术的关键是控制催化剂的活性和选择性,近年来国外对脱除饮用水中硝酸盐的催化剂研究十分活跃。作者较全面地综述了国内外各种不同催化剂还原硝酸盐的催化性能、催化机理,并提出了饮用水脱硝酸盐催化剂的发展趋势。     

Removal of fluoride from drinking water by adsorption onto alum-impregnated activated alumina

The ability of the alum-impregnated activated alumina (AIAA) for removal of fluoride from water through adsorption has been investigated in the present study. All the experiments are carried out by batch mode. The effect of various parameters viz. contact time, pH effect (pH 2–8), adsorbent dose (0.5–16 g/l), initial fluoride concentration (1–35 mg/l) has been investigated to determine the adsorption capacity of AIAA. The adsorbent dose and isotherm data are correlated to the Bradley equation. The efficacy of AIAA to remove fluoride from water is found to be 99% at pH 6.5, contact time for 3 h, dose of 8 g/l, when 20 mg/l of fluoride is present in 50 ml of water. Energy-dispersive analysis of X-ray shows that the uptake of fluoride at the AIAA/water interface is due to only surface precipitation. The desorption study reveals that this adsorbent can be regenerated following a simple base–acid rinsing procedure, however, again impregnation of the regenerated adsorbent (rinsed residue) is needed for further defluoridation process.