Removal of NO3– from Drinking Water by Electrocoagulation – An Alternate Approach

The present study provides an electrocoagulation method, for the removal of NO₃^– from drinking water using magnesium as the anode and cathode. The experiments are carried out as a function of pH, temperature, and current density. The results show that the maximum removal efficiency of 95.8% was achieved at a current density of 0.25 A/dm², at a pH of 7.0. The adsorption of NO₃^– preferably fitting the Langmuir adsorption isotherm suggests monolayer coverage of the adsorbed molecules. The adsorption process follows a second‐order kinetics model. Thermodynamic studies show that the adsorption was exothermic and spontaneous in nature.     

Elimination of Swimming Pool Water Disinfection By‐products with Advanced Oxidation Processes (AOPs)

Ozonation is a treatment step which was first applied in the 1960s in pool water treatment for disinfection as well as for oxidation of pool water contaminants. Contact time between ozone and pool water was identified to be of significance with an increased elimination efficiency regarding chloramines, trihalogenmethane formation potential and the permanganate index for longer reaction times. Oxidation via OH radicals might be the dominating pathway. In this study ozonation was compared with the ozone based advanced oxidation processes ozone/UV and ozone/hydrogen peroxide regarding the elimination efficiency of both disinfection by‐products (DBPs) and DBP precursors. It was observed that AOPs in comparison to ozonation showed an increased elimination efficiency regarding total organic carbon (TOC), the organically bound halogens adsorbable on activated carbon (AOX) and AOX formation potential. A contact time of 3 minutes between pool water and oxidant turned out to be practically sufficient. Just for the trihalomethane (THM) formation potential ozonation showed a slight advantage compared to the AOPs because ozonation is a highly selective oxidant and OH radical reactions are known to produce small reactive molecules which are easier transformed to THMs. Combination of membrane filtration and AOPs resulted in an elimination of 10 to 90 % of the DBPs and their precursors. The ozone/hydrogen peroxide process is suggested for pool water treatment because of the higher elimination rates compared to ozonation and of economic reasons compared to the ozone/UV process.     

Studies on the Removal of Iron from Drinking Water by Electrocoagulation – A Clean Process

The present study describes an electrocoagulation process for the removal of iron from drinking water using magnesium as the anode and galvanized iron as the cathode. Experiments were carried out as a function of pH, temperature and current density. The adsorption capacity was evaluated using both the Langmuir and the Freundlich isotherm models. The results show that the maximum removal efficiency of 98.4% was achieved at a current density of 0.06 A dm^–2, at a pH of 6.0. The adsorption of iron was better explained by fitting the Langmuir adsorption isotherm, which suggests a monolayer coverage of adsorbed molecules. The adsorption process followed a second‐order kinetics model. Temperature studies showed that adsorption was endothermic and spontaneous in nature.     

Potential Occurrence of MTBE and BTEX in Groundwater Resources of Amman–Zarqa Basin,Jordan

This study investigates potential occurrence, distribution, and sources of the newly added gasoline oxygenate, methyl‐tert‐butyl ether (MTBE) and the petroleum derivatives benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylenes called collectively, BTEX, in Jordan's heavily populated Amman–Zarqa Basin (AZB). It presents the first data on the levels of MTBE and BTEX in the aquifers of this basin. One hundred and seventy‐nine (179) groundwater wells were sampled near petrol service stations, oil refinery storage tanks, car wrecks, bus stations, and chemical industries at different locations in the basin. Headspace GC and purge and trap GC–MS were utilized to determine the target substances in the samples. Concentrations of BTEX varied between no‐detection (minimum) for all of them to 6.6 µg/L (maximum) for ethylbenzene. MTBE was found in few samples but none has exceeded the regulated levels; its concentrations ranged between no‐detection to 4.1 µg/L. However, though the contamination levels are very low they should be considered alarming.     

Factors Affecting UV/H2O2 Oxidation of 17α‐Ethynyestradiol in Water

In this study, bench‐scale experiments were conducted to examine the UV/H₂O₂ oxidation of 17α‐ethynyestradiol (EE2) in water in a batch operation mode. The EE2 degradation exhibited pseudo‐first‐order kinetics, and the removal was ascribed to the production of hydroxyl radicals (^?OH) by the UV/H₂O₂ system. Typically, the EE2 oxidation rate increased with increasing UV intensity and H₂O₂ dose, and with deceasing initial EE2 levels and solution pH. At EE2₀ = 650 µg/L, UV intensity = 154 µW/cm², H₂O₂ = 5 mg/L, and neutral pH, the UV/H₂O₂ treatment was able to remove 90% of the EE2 content within 30 min. Four anions commonly present in water were found to inhibit EE2 degradation to varying degrees: > > Cl^? > . Our results demonstrate that the described UV/H₂O₂ process is an effective method to control EE2 pollution in water.     

Water and Wastewater Treatment in Africa – Current Practices and Challenges

Sustainable access to safe drinking water and basic sanitation is an important part of the millennium development goals (MDGs). For most African countries, an extensive effort is needed for the last three remaining years for the achievement of the MDGs, especially in Sub‐Saharan Africa. Current practices for water and wastewater treatment in Africa are insufficient to ensure safe water and basic sanitation. To address this challenge, joint efforts are needed, including transforming to green economy, innovating technologies, improving operation and maintenance, harvesting energy, improving governance and management, promoting public participation, and establishing water quality standards.     

Evaluation of Two Low‐Cost–High‐Performance Adsorbent Materials in the Waste‐to‐Product Approach for the Removal of Pesticides from Drinking Water

This study evaluates the performance of two low cost and high performance adsorption materials, i.e., activated carbon produced from two natural waste products: Bamboo and coconut shell, in the removal of three pesticides from drinking water sources. Due to the fact that bamboo and coconut shell are abundant and inexpensive materials in many parts of the world, they respond to the “low‐cost” aspect. The adsorption capacities of two local adsorbents have been compared with commercial activated carbon to explore their potential to respond to the “high quality” aspect. Two pesticides were selected, namely dieldrin and chlorpyrifos, because they are commonly used in agriculture activities, and may remain in high concentrations in surface water used as drinking water sources. The results indicate that the adsorption of pesticides on activated carbons is influenced by physico‐chemical properties of the activated carbon and the pesticides such as the presence of an aromatic ring, and their molar mass. The activated carbon produced from bamboo can be employed as low‐cost and high performance adsorbent, alternative to commercial activated carbon for the removal of pesticides during drinking water production. The performance of activated carbon from bamboo was better due to its relatively large macroporosity and planar surface. The effect of adsorbent and pesticide characteristics on the performance was derived from batch experiments in which the adsorption behavior was studied on the basis of Freundlich isotherms.     

Arsenic — a Review. Part II: Oxidation of Arsenic and its Removal in Water Treatment

In natural waters arsenic normally occurs in the oxidation states +III (arsenite) and +V (arsenate). The removal of As(III) is more difficult than the removal of As(V). Therefore, As(III) has to be oxidized to As(V) prior to its removal. The oxidation in the presence of air or pure oxygen is slow. The oxidation rate can be increased by ozone, chlorine, hypochlorite, chlorine dioxide, or H₂O₂. The oxidation of As(III) is also possible in the presence of manganese oxide coated sands or by advanced oxidation processes. Arsenic can be removed from waters by coprecipitation with Fe(OH)₃, MnO₂ or during water softening. Fixed‐bed filters have successfully been applied for the removal of arsenic.The effectiveness of arsenic removal was tested in the presence of adsorbents such as FeOOH, activated alumina, ferruginous manganese ore, granular activated carbon, or natural zeolites. Other removal technologies are anion exchange, electrocoagulation, and membrane filtration by ultrafiltration, nanofiltration or reverse osmosis.     

Dissolved Organic Carbon in Seepage Water – Production and Transformation during Soil Passage

Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) in seepage water can combine with organic pollutants, with Al and heavy metal ions and transport them through the soil profile with a potential to contaminate groundwater. We studied the production of DOC in aerobic decomposition experiments at 8 °C and moisture close to field capacity in soils from two sites with different microbial activities (spodic dystric Cambisols with moder (SLB) and mor‐moder (SLS) layers) using ¹³C‐depleted plants of differing decomposability (Epilobium angustifolium and Calamagrostis epigeios). Additionally, we investigated the DOC transformation during soil passage in decomposition experiments and in the field for the sites SLB and SLS. For SLS, decomposition of Epilobium resulted in a cumulative CO₂ production of 14% of the added C within 128 days. Priming effects were negligible. CO₂ production for the experiments using Calamagrostis was less with 11% for SLB and 10% for SLS. Cumulative DOC production was markedly high in the Epilobium decomposition experiment, being 25 g m^–2, out of which 11 g m^–2 were Epilobium‐derived (2% of the added C). For the Calamagrostis experiments, cumulative productions of DOC and Calamagrostis‐derived DOC (0.1% of the added C for SLS and SLB) were much less. During the soil passage, much of the DOC was removed by sorption or decomposition processes. Field studies at SLS and SLB using ¹³C natural abundance showed that ¹³C distribution of soil organic matter increased with depth, probably mainly due to a discrimination of C isotopes by decomposing microorganisms. DOC, however, showed a depletion of ¹³C from –28γ PDB to –29γ (SLB at 40 cm) or –28 to –30γ (SLS at 20 cm) with depth, owing to preferential decomposition of ¹³C‐enriched substances or preferential adsorption. This study indicates that DOC production is strongly affected by litter composition and that significant changes in DOC composition may occur during its passage through a soil depth of 40 cm.     

Coagulation Efficiency and Residual Aluminum Content of Polyaluminum Silicate Chloride in Water Treatment

A series of polyaluminum silicate chlorides (PASC), which have different OH^—/Al and Al/Si molar ratios, has been prepared by a copolymerization technique and a composite technique, after which the coagulation efficiency and the residual aluminum content of PASC for water treatment were compared with polyaluminum chloride (PAC) by jar test. The experimental results show that PASC has better coagulation efficiency and lower residual aluminum content than PAC, and the PASC prepared by the copolymerization technique gives a better coagulating effect than that prepared by the composite technique. In addition, the OH^—/Al and Al/Si molar ratios have some effect on the coagulation effect and residual aluminum content of PASC in treated water. With increasing OH^—/Al molar ratio and decreasing Al/Si molar ratio, the residual turbidity and residual aluminum content in treated water diminishes. The pH of the water sample also affects the residual aluminum content of the water and there is a lower residual aluminum content in the neutral pH range.     

Chitosan – A Sizing Agent in Fabric Production – Development and Ecological Evaluation

Chitosan, a natural polymer, was investigated as a possible sizing agent in fabric production by appropriate modification in the textile industry. Based on recipe developments at a laboratory‐scale, the ecological and economical potential of mainly cotton yarns were demonstrated and developed. Subsequent tests within the scope of industrial production confirmed the findings of the basic developments. As an interesting alternative to the conventional sizing process involving the removal of the size after weaving, the use of appropriate processing technologies makes it possible to apply chitosan in the form of a sizing agent resistant to wash‐out processes. Therefore, the wash‐out process and the combined wastewater loading can be avoided and the properties of chitosan can be used beneficially in the later applications of the fabric. The traditional method of sizing and weaving developments as well as the analyses of material recycling showed the possibilities of using closed circuits in textile production involving sizing agent and water. It is possible that a chitosan‐specific enzyme suitable for production conditions, which facilitates the wash‐out process in combination with the biodegradation of the wastewater in a sewage plant, could be developed.     

Treatment of Groundwater Containing Methane – Combination of the Processing Stages Desorption and Filtration

Methane is produced under anaerobic conditions by metabolic processes in microbes and can occur in waters of the types anoxic‐anaerobic (RG 1/2) and anaerobic‐reduced (RG 2). If the concentration of methane lies below 0.2 mg/L, then no special treatment processes are required apart from dosing of oxygen and rapid sand filtration, which are performed to remove iron, manganese, and ammonium. The research results show that a higher concentration of methane must be specially treated. From the point of view of stable deferrisation, oxidation of up to 2 mg/L is tolerable in rapid sand filtration. However, an unusual increase in regrowth potential was observed. For this reason, the oxidation of methane should be reduced to 0.5 mg/L until further experiments yield results on the microbiological stability of treated water. Rapid sand filters for nitrification and demanganisation should have a maximum methane loading of 0.2 mg/L. The experiments show that nitrification first occurs at a methane concentration below 0.1 mg/L. During the working in of demanganisation, the inlet water should be free of methane. Therefore desorption is often required. If there is less than 1 mg/L to be degassed, then desorption can be achieved with overpressure in the oxidiser without any change in the carbonate‐bicarbonate equilibrium. With other systems, such as packed columns, wetted‐wall columns, or percolators, carbon dioxide is removed simultaneously. By means of the coefficients of similarity found, it was shown that methane and carbon dioxide desorb in different proportions depending on the system, and that the discharge of carbon dioxide can be reduced through a decrease in the air/water ratio.     

Denitrification and Pesticide Elimination in Drinking Water Treatment with the Biodegradable Polymer Poly(ϵ‐caprolactone) (PCL)

A combination of denitrification and pesticide sorption with the biodegradable polymer poly(?‐caprolactone) (PCL) was examined. The function of PCL is to act as carbon source and carrier for the bacteria and simultaneously as sorbent for the pesticide endosulfan. In a short‐term examination (1 month) the addition of the pesticide endosulfan to a continuous‐flow fixed‐bed reactor resulted in an inhibition of biomass production without reduction of the denitrification performance. However in a long‐term semi‐batch reactor test (6 months) biomass production and partly denitrification rates were affected. No significant differences in microbial composition between the reactors were observed. Regardless of the type of reactor or presence of endosulfan, Acidovorax facilis was the main constituent.     

Über das Vorkommen von Pestiziden im Trinkwasser und in der Nahrung Pesticides in Drinking Water and Food

Amounts of pesticide residues determined in drinking water and in food during the last decade are compared. Whereas in drinking water pesticides were determined in concentrations of about 0.1 μg/L, the pesticide contents of fruits and vegetables were higher by a factor of 100 to 10000. Even in the grease fraction of mother's milk pesticides were found in the mg/kg range. These results may help to do the classification of drinking water as a possible health hazard concerning pesticides.