Chapter 7: Removal of iron and

manganese
Removal of iron
Problem: 1-2 mg/l, sour taste
After aeration: flaky sediment Fe(OH)3 –
comfort problem
Bacterial growth  clogging of pipes, pit
corrosion
Standard 50 µg/l
Removal of iron and manganese
Removal of iron from anaerobic groundwater
2 Fe2+ + 0.5 O2 + 5 H2O  2 Fe(OH)3 + 4 H+
pH = 8, solubility Fe(OH)3 ~ 2.10-6 mg/l
Velocity ~ min (pH!)
End-pH after aeration ca. 8
Removal of manganese from anaerobic
groundwater
Comparable to iron – sour taste, precipitation
Standard 20 µg/l
Aeration yields hard precipitate (MnO2 –
‘bruinsteen’)
Removal of manganese
2 Mn2+ + O2 + 2 H2O  2 MnO2 + 4 H+
Autocatalytic:
2 Mn2+ + 2 MnO2  2 [Mn.MnO2]2+
2 [Mn.MnO2]2+ + 2 O2 + 2 H2O  2 MnO2 + 4 H+
Filter material can be treated with KMnO4 in
advance
In addition: biological manganese removal
Chapter 9: Removal of dissolved
gases
• H2S, NH3, dissolved oxygen, CO2
• !Corrosion:
– Influence on pH (H2S, NH3, CO2)
– Electron acceptor (oxygen)
• H2S, NH3, CO2: aeration
• CO2: also chemical binding is possible
• Oxygen: see further
Removal of dissolved gases by air
stripping
• Cascade waterfall system = most simple
• Spray in open basin (!ventilation!), down to 15
mg/l
• Aeration column: water as disperse phase,
counterflow (down to 3-5 mg/l) – 100
m³/(m²h), column height 3-5 m, 20 Nm³/m³
• Plate aerator: perforated, film flow, air is blown
in through the plate
Chapter 10: Disinfection
• Only practised since 19th century!
• Evaluation: ‘indicator-organisms’, e.g., coli-bacteria (E-
coli), streptococci, clostridia (sulfite reducing)
• Contamination  bacteria, not the other way round!
• Types:
– Bacterial spores
– Protozoa spores
– Viruses (20-80 nm)
– Vegetative bacteria (0.5 – 10 µm)
• Giardia  giardiasis; cryptosporidia  cryptosporidiasis
• Survival parasites via cysts or oocysts; viruses:
adsorption to clay particles, organic fractions
Disinfection
Mechanism
• Destruction, inactivation or removal of pathogenic micro-
organisms
• Maintenance of microbiological water quality in the
distribution network
First step: physical removal or (photo)chemical
destruction/inactivation
• Sand filtration: physical removal
• Membrane filtration: physical removal
• Chlorine, chlorine dioxide, ozone, hydrogen peroxide:
destructive, oxidizing
• Chemical (Cu, Ag) or photochemical disinfection:
bacteriostatic
Disinfection

Oxidizing agents
• Most used disinfection method
• Advantages:
– Simple
– Well-known
– Cheap
• Disadvantages:
– Disinfection byproducts (DBP): THM, a.o. chloroform,
trihaloacetic acid, chloralhydrate, chlorophenols: carcinogenic
– Cause: NOM + disinfectans
– Not sufficient for some organisms
Disinfection
Disinfection byproducts
Parameters: total chlorine dosage – contact time –
water temperature – pH – TOC – bromide
concentration – pretreatment
Measures:
• 1/ Remove NOM precursors in advance, e.g., by using
membrane technology (UF, NF) – activated carbon;
• 2/ disinfection products yielding less DBP’s;
• 3/ shift the point of disinfection;
• 4/ remove DBP’s afterwards
Disinfection
Chlorine disinfection
‘available’ chlorine: OT  0 - HOCl
Mainly Cl2, NaOCl, ClO2
Parameters:
• Type + concentration of microbial components
• Turbidity (shielding)
• Organic material: adsorption + reaction with disinfectans
• Inorganic compounds (Fe(II), Mn(II), ammonium, sulfides,
cyanides)
• pH and temperature: geochemistry of disinfectans, diffusion
through the bacterial cell
Disinfection
Efficiency of disinfection?
Model of Chick & Watson: ln(N/N0) = - cnt
 = lethality coefficient, ozone > HClO > ClO2 > NHCl2
Bacteria > viruses > cysts
Cryptosporidium: not sufficient!
« log » removal: 2-log = 99% removal; 4-log = 99.99%
removal
Current trend: reverse to UV disinfection in combination
with membrane techniques
UV: no (oxidative) destruction but inactivation by
changing genetic material
UV: no BDP’s, no overdosage possible, environmentally
friendly
Disinfection
Bacterial growth in pipes
Re-contamination in pipes
Regrowth from germs
Formation of biofilms
Parameter = AOC (< 10 µg/l)