Abstract
Biological processes can achieve nitrate removal from groundwater. The sulfur/limestone autotrophic denitrification by Thiobacillus denitrificans was evaluated with three laboratory-scale column reactors. The optimum sulfur/limestone ratio was determined to be 2:1 (mass/mass). Different hydraulic retention times were used during the column tests to examine nitrate removal efficiencies. Under an HRTs of 13 h, nitrate concentration of 60 mgNO3 --N L-1 was reduced to less than 5 mg NO3 --N L-1. On a higher HRT of 26 h the nitrate removal efficiency was close to 100% for all nitrate-nitrogen loading rates. Different initial nitrate-nitrogen concentrations (30, 60, and 90 mg NO3 --N L-1) were used in the study. Column tests showed that the nitrate-nitrogen loading rate in this study was between 50 to 100 g NO3 --N m-3 d-1 to obtain a removal efficiency of 80–100%. It was found that approximately 6 mg SO4 2- was produced for 1 mg NO3 --N removed. Nitrite-nitrogen in all cases was less than the maximum allowable concentration of 1 mg NO2 --N L-1. Effluent pH was stable in the range of 7 to 8; the effluent dissolved oxygen was less than 0.15 mg L-1 and the oxidation-reduction potential in all columns was in the range of –110 to –250 mV.
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Darbi, A., Viraraghavan, T., Butler, R. et al. Column Studies on Nitrate Removal from Potable Water. Water, Air, & Soil Pollution 150, 235–254 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1026149311106
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1026149311106