Optimization of Arsenic Removal Water Treatment System through Characterization of Terminal Electron Accepting Processes

Terminal electron accepting process (TEAP) zones developed when a simulated groundwater containing dissolved oxygen (DO), nitrate, arsenate, and sulfate was treated in a fixed-bed bioreactor system consisting of two reactors (reactors A and B) in series. When the reactors were operated with an empty bed contact time (EBCT) of 20 min each, DO-, nitrate-, sulfate-, and arsenate-reducing TEAP zones were located within reactor A. As a consequence, sulfate reduction and subsequent arsenic removal through arsenic sulfide precipitation and/or arsenic adsorption on or coprecipitation with iron sulfides occurred in reactor A. This resulted in the removal of arsenic-laden solids during backwashing of reactor A. To minimize this by shifting the sulfate-reducing zone to reactor B, the EBCT of reactor A was sequentially lowered from 20 min to 15, 10, and 7 min. While 50 mg/L (0.81 mM) nitrate was completely removed at all EBCTs, more than 90% of 300 μg/L (4 μM) arsenic was removed with the total EBCT as low as 27 min. Sulfate- and arsenate-reducing bacteria were identified throughout the system through clone libraries and quantitative PCR targeting the 16S rRNA, dissimilatory (bi)­sulfite reductase (<i>dsrAB</i>), and dissimilatory arsenate reductase (<i>arrA</i>) genes. Results of reverse transcriptase (RT) qPCR of partial <i>dsrAB</i> (i.e., <i>dsrA</i>) and <i>arrA</i> transcripts corresponded with system performance. The RT qPCR results indicated colocation of sulfate- and arsenate-reducing activities, in the presence of iron­(II), suggesting their importance in arsenic removal