Ceramic silver impregnated pot filters for household drinking water treatment in developing countries

Civil Engineering and Geoscience

Water research for the world

Let’s start with the United Nations Millennium Development Goals Report 2012. Remember the target? Halve, by 2015, the proportion of the population without sustainable access to safe drinking water and basic sanitation. Thanks to China and India the world has met the drinking water target in 2010, but the work is not done yet. The poorest lag behind, especially in Sub-Saharan Africa (Figure 1). Over 40 per cent of all people without improved drinking water live in sub-Saharan Africa. The gap between urban and rural areas still remains wide, with the number of people in rural areas without an improved water source five times greater than in urban areas. Ruralurban disparities in access to sanitation are even more pronounced than for access to drinking water. The number of people forced to resort to open defecation remains a widespread health hazard and a global scandal. Nearly 60 per cent of those practicing open defecation live in India. In sub-Saharan Africa, 75 per cent of the households have to collect water from some distance. The time and energy devoted to this manner of water collection is considerable. For 25 sub-Saharan countries combined, it is estimated that 26 million hours are spend per day, which equals the working hours of the lifetimes of 300 people. An important note: water quality is not accounted for in United Nations report – so results may well be overestimated. But isn’t that what it’s all about? Providing improved water sources, not just any source.Water ManagementCivil Engineering and Geoscience

Subsurface iron and arsenic removal for drinking water treatment in Bangladesh

Arsenic contamination of shallow tube well drinking water is an urgent health problem in Bangladesh. Current arsenic mitigation solutions, including (household) arsenic removal options, do not always provide a sustainable alternative for safe drinking water. A novel technology, Subsurface Arsenic Removal, relies on the existing technology of Subsurface Iron Removal. The principle of this technology is that aerated water is periodically injected into an anoxic or anaerobic aquifer through a tube well. The injection water partially displaces the original iron and arsenic containing groundwater. The oxygen-rich injection water oxidized adsorbed iron on the soil grains around the tube well. Once the flow direction is reversed, the oxidized iron (precipitated as iron (oxy)hydroxides) provides adsorption sites for soluble iron and arsenic. Subsequently groundwater with reduced iron and arsenic concentrations can be abstracted. This technology has the potential to be an affordable, robust and chemical-free arsenic removal solution for decentralized application. In this PhD study a combination field and laboratory research, in Bangladesh and the Netherlands, has resulted in better understanding of the subsurface processes determining the sustainable operation in diverse geochemical settings.Water MangamentCivil Engineering and Geoscience

Influence of particle properties on iron flocculation

In this study, the importance of charge interactions during flocculation of Fe3+ in the presence of particles and anions/cations at various pH values was investigated. SiO2, (s) and ZnO(s) were dosed as particles to promote charge interactions and/or serve as a nucleus to accelerate floc formation. In the pH range 6–9, SiO2, (s) is negatively charged, while ZnO(s) carries a positive charge. Ca2+ and HPO4 2- were selected to investigate charge interactions in the water phase. A significant delay in floc growth due to charge repulsion between negatively charged iron species was observed at pHini 9. For positively charged species at pHini 6, a delay in floc growth was observed as well, but to a lesser degree. These effects could be neutralized by either dosing (positively charged) ZnO(s) or Ca2+ at pHini 9, or (negatively charged) SiO2, (s) at pHini 6. The addition of phosphate did not hinder floc growth at pHini 6. While phosphate completely inhibited floc growth at pHini 7–9 in the presence of negatively charged SiO2, (s), the presence of positively charged ZnO(s) partly neutralized the detrimental influence of phosphate on floc growth. Similarly, dosing Ca2+ partly neutralized the effect of phosphate.Sanitary Engineerin

As(III) removal in rapid filters: Effect of pH, Fe(II)/Fe(III), filtration velocity and media size

In the top layer of aerated rapid sand filtration systems, uncharged As(III) is biologically converted to charged As(V). Subsequently, the main removal mechanism for As(V) is adsorption onto oxidised, flocculated Fe(III) (hydrous ferric hydroxides; HFO). The aim of this research was to understand the interactions between As and Fe in biologically active rapid filter columns and investigate the effect of different operational modes on Fe removal to subsequently promote As removal. For this purpose, different filter media column experiments were performed using natural, aerated groundwater containing 3.4 μg/l As(III). Results show that independent of the filter media size, complete (biological) conversion of As(III), manganese, ammonium and nitrite was achieved in approximately 70 days. After ripening, enhanced As removal was achieved with a top layer of coarse media or by dosing additional Fe(III). Addition of Fe(II) did not have the same effect on As removal, potentially due to heterogeneous Fe(II) oxidation in the upper layer of the filter, attaching rapidly to the filter grain surface and thereby preventing HFO flocs to penetrate deeper into the bed. Increasing the flow rate from 1 to 4 m/h did not improve As removal and lowering the pH from 8 to 7.4, resulted in an 55% increased removal of dissolved As. Altogether it is concluded that As removal in biologically active rapid sand filters can be improved by applying coarser filter media on top, in combination with dosing Fe(III) and/or pH correction.Sanitary Engineerin

Inactivation of Escherichia coli and somatic coliphage ΦX174 by oxidation of electrochemically produced Fe²⁺

Electrochemical ferrous iron (Fe2+) wastewater treatment is gaining momentum for treating municipal wastewater due to its decreasing costs, environmental friendliness and capacity for removal of a wide range of contaminants. Disinfection by iron electrocoagulation (Fe-EC) has been occasionally reported in full scale industrial applications, yet controversy remains regarding its underlying elimination mechanisms and kinetics. In this study, it was demonstrated that substantial inactivation can be achieved for Escherichia coli WR1 (5 log10) and somatic coliphage ΦX174 (2–3 log10). Electrochemically produced Fe2+ yielded similar inactivation as chemical Fe2+. Reactive oxygen species (ROS)-quenching experiments with TEMPOL confirmed that E. coli inactivation was related to the production of Fenton-like intermediates during Fe2+ oxidation. The observed E. coli disinfection kinetics could be mathematically related to Fe-EC current intensity using a Chick-Watson-like expression, in which the amperage is surrogate for the disinfectant's concentration. We hereby show that it is possible to mathematically predict disinfection based on applied Fe dosage and dosage speed. Phage ΦX174 inactivation could not be described in a similar way because at higher Fe dosages (>20 mg/l), little additional inactivation was observed. Also, ROS-quencher TEMPOL did not completely inhibit phage ΦX174 removal, suggesting that additional pathways are relevant for its elimination.Sanitary Engineerin

As(III) oxidation by MnO₂ during groundwater treatment

The top layer of natural rapid sand filtration was found to effectively oxidise arsenite (As(III)) in groundwater treatment. However, the oxidation pathway has not yet been identified. The aim of this study was to investigate whether naturally formed manganese oxide (MnO2), present on filter grains, could abiotically be responsible for As(III) oxidation in the top of a rapid sand filter. For this purpose As(III) oxidation with two MnO2 containing powders was investigated in aerobic water containing manganese(II) (Mn(II)), iron(II) (Fe(II)) and/or iron(III) (Fe(III)). The first MnO2 powder was a very pure - commercially available - natural MnO2 powder. The second originated from a filter sand coating, produced over 22 years in a rapid filter during aeration and filtration. Jar test experiments showed that both powders oxidised As(III). However, when applying the MnO2 in aerated, raw groundwater, As(III) removal was not enhanced compared to aeration alone. It was found that the presence of Fe(II)) and Mn(II) inhibited As(III) oxidation, as Fe(II) and Mn(II) adsorption and oxidation were preferred over As(III) on the MnO2 surface (at pH 7). Therefore it is concluded that just because MnO2 is present in a filter bed, it does not necessarily mean that MnO2 will be available to oxidise As(III). However, unlike Fe(II), the addition of Fe(III) did not hinder As(III) oxidation on the MnO2 surface; resulting in subsequent effective As(V) removal by the flocculating hydrous ferric oxides.Sanitary EngineeringWater Managemen

Biological As(III) oxidation in rapid sand filters

The objective of this study was to investigate whether arsenic-oxidising bacteria (AsOB) will grow and survive in rapid sand filters. Additionally, the interdependence of other groundwater constituents (Fe(II), Mn(II), NH4) with biological As(III) oxidation was investigated. For this purpose As(III) oxidation was monitored in pilot-scale filter sand columns fed with raw groundwater, as well as treated groundwater (drinking water) with spikes of either As(III), Mn(II) or NH4. It was concluded that biological As(III) oxidation rapidly developed in the rapid sand filter columns. With a typical lag and log phase, decreasing As(III) and increasing As(V) concentrations in the effluent of the sand columns were observed in a timeframe of weeks. The growth of biomass in the sand columns was confirmed with ATP analysis. ATP concentrations on the sand grains increased from 0.7 ng/g to 16, 8 and 2 ng/g filter sand stratified from the top of the sand filter to the bottom, respectively. Additionally, a microbial community analysis (16S rRNA) showed a high relative abundance of α- and β-Proteobacteria; the same classes where most AsOB are phylogenetically placed. This study establishes that AsOB are able to grow and maintain their population on low As(III) concentrations, either in presence, or absence, of other common groundwater bacteria and mineral precipitates, directly leading to an increased As removal in the filter bed.Sanitary Engineerin

The fate of H2O2 during managed aquifer recharge: A residual from advanced oxidation processes for drinking water production

Sanitary Engineerin

Riverbank filtration for the treatment of highly turbid Colombian rivers

The poor quality of many Colombian surface waters forces us to seek alternative, sustainable treatment solutions with the ability to manage peak pollution events and to guarantee the uninterrupted provision of safe drinking water to the population. This review assesses the potential of using riverbank filtration (RBF) for the highly turbid and contaminated waters in Colombia, emphasizing water quality improvement and the influence of clogging by suspended solids. The suspended sediments may be favorable for the improvement of the water quality, but they may also reduce the production yield capacity. The cake layer must be balanced by scouring in order for an RBF system to be sustainable. The infiltration rate must remain high enough throughout the river-aquifer interface to provide the water quantity needed, and the residence time of the contaminants must be sufficient to ensure adequate water quality. In general, RBF seems to be a technology appropriate for use in highly turbid and contaminated surface rivers in Colombia, where improvements are expected due to the removal of turbidity, pathogens and to a lesser extent inorganics, organic matter and micro-pollutants. RBF has the potential to mitigate shock loads, thus leading to the prevention of shutdowns of surface water treatment plants. In addition, RBF, as an alternative pretreatment step, may provide an important reduction in chemical consumption, considerably simplifying the operation of the existing treatment processes. However, clogging and self-cleansing issues must be studied deeper in the context of these highly turbid waters to evaluate the potential loss of abstraction capacity yield as well as the development of different redox zones for efficient contaminant removal.Sanitary EngineeringWater Managemen