Global water shortages caused by rapidly expanding population, escalating water consumption, and dwindling water reserves have rendered water reuse a strategically significant approach to meet current and future water demand. This study is the first to our knowledge to evaluate the technical feasibility of iron-mediated aeration (IMA), an innovative, potentially economical, holistic, oxidizing co-precipitation process operating at room temperature, atmospheric pressure, and neutral pH, for water reuse. In the IMA process, dissolved oxygen (O2) was continuously activated by zero-valent iron (Fe0) to produce reactive oxygen species (ROS) at ambient pH, temperature, and pressure. Concurrently, iron sludge was generated as a result of iron corrosion. Bench-scale tests were conducted to study the performance of IMA for treatment of secondary effluent, natural surface water, and simulated contaminated water. The following removal efficiencies were achieved: 82.2% glyoxylic acid, ∼100% formaldehyde as an oxidation product of glyoxylic acid, 94% of Ca2+ and associated alkalinity, 44% of chemical oxygen demand (COD), 26% of electrical conductivity (EC), 98% of di-n-butyl phthalate (DBP), 80% of 17β-estradiol (E2), 45% of total nitrogen (TN), 96% of total phosphorus (TP), 99.8% of total Cr, >90% of total Ni, 99% of color, 3.2log removal of total coliform, and 2.4log removal of E. Coli. Removal was attributed principally to chemical oxidation, precipitation, co-precipitation, coagulation, adsorption, and air stripping concurrently occurring during the IMA treatment. Results suggest that IMA is a promising treatment technology for water reuse.
a Department of Civil, Architectural, and Environmental Engineering, University of Miami, Coral Gables, FL 33124, USAidb Department of Earth and Environmental Studies, Montclair State University, Montclair, NJ 07043, USAid="aff3">c Zima Group International, PO BOX 565, Tripoli 1300, Lebanonid="aff4">d Ecole Nationale des Travaux Publics de l'Etat, 69518 Vaulx-en-Velin cedex, Franceid="aff5">e Hazen and Sawyer P.C., 999 Ponce De Leon Blvd., Suite 1150, Coral Gables, FL 33134, USAid="aff6">f Environmental & Regulatory Advisor, ExxonMobil Development Company, 12450 Greenspoint Dr., Houston, TX 77060, USAid="aff7">g Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Florida International University, Miami, FL 33199, USAid="aff8">h Particle Engineering Research Center, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611, USAid="aff9">i ARCADIS U.S., Inc., 14025 Riveredge Drive, Suite 600, Tampa, FL 33637, USAid="aff10">j Public Health Program and Institute for the Study of the Environment, Sustainability & Energy, Northern Illinois University, DeKalb, IL 60115, USA
Recommended Citation:
Yang Denga,b,James D. Englehardta,et al. Ambient iron-mediated aeration (IMA) for water reuse[J]. water Research,2013-01-01,Volume 47(Issue 2)