Removal of Iron from Groundwater by Sulfide Precipitation

Authors: H. Jusoh, N. Sapari, R.Z. Raja Azie

Abstract:

Iron in groundwater is one of the problems that render the water unsuitable for drinking. The concentration above 0.3 mg/L is common in groundwater. The conventional method of removal is by precipitation under oxic condition. In this study, iron removal under anaerobic conditions was examined by batch experiment as a main purpose. The process involved by purging of groundwater samples with H2S to form iron sulfide. Removal up to 83% for 1 mg/L iron solution was achieved. The removal efficiency dropped to 82% and 75% for the higher initial iron concentrations 3.55 and 5.01 mg/L, respectively. The average residual sulfide concentration in water after the process was 25*g/L. The Eh level during the process was -272 mV. The removal process was found to follow the first order reaction with average rate constant of 4.52 x 10-3. The half-life for the concentrations to reduce from initial values was 157 minutes.

Keywords: Anaerobic, chemical kinetics, hydrogen sulfide, iron, rate constant

Digital Object Identifier (DOI): doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.1084378

References:

[1] A. F. Mohamed, W. Z. Wan Yaacob, M. R. Taha, and A. R. Samsudin, "Groundwater and soil vulnerability in the Langat basin Malaysia", European Journal of Scientific Research, vol. 27, no. 4, 2009, pp. 628-635.
[2] P. Sampat, "Groundwater shock”, World Watch, vol. 13, 2000, pp. 16-24.
[3] T. Mohammed, and A. Ghazali, "Evaluation of yield and groundwater quality for selected wells in Malaysia”, Pertanika Journal of Sciences and Technology, vol. 17, no.1, 2007: p. 33-42.
[4] A. Jusoh, W. M., Low, A. Nora’aini, and M. J. M. M, Noor, "Study on the removal of iron and manganese in groundwater by granular activated carbon”, Desalination, vol. 182, 2005, pp. 347–353.
[5] V. K. Murukesan, S. Timothy, and F. Christina, "Qualitative examination of groundwater from yap and some of its neighboring island”, Technical Report : Water and Environmental Research Institute of the Western Pasific University of Guam, no. 115, May 2006, pp. 10 - 12.
[6] E.L. Bean, "Progress report on water quality criteria”, Journal AWWA, vol. 54, no. 11, 1962, pp. 1313-1331.
[7] WHO, "Guidelines for drinking-water quality”, Health criteria and other supporting information. World Health Organization, Geneva, 1996, vol. 2.
[8] VEWIN, "VEWIN Recommendations”, In Dutch: VEWIN Aanbevelingen ( a. de hoedanigheid van het water waterkwalitiet), VEWIN, The Netherlands, 1993.
[9] D. Ellis, C. Bouchard, and G. Lantagne, "Removal of iron and manganese from groundwater by oxidation and microfiltration”, Desalination, 2000. vol. 130, no.3, 2000, pp. 255-264.
[10] S. Sharma, " Adsorptive iron removal from groundwater”, CRC, 2001, pp. 3 - 32.
[11] L. Fewtrell, and J. Bartram, "Water quality: guidelines, standards, and health: assessment of risk and risk management for water-related infectious disease”, IWA Publishing, 2001.
[12] J. T. O’Connor, "Iron and manganese. In: Water quality and Treatment - A handbook of public water supplies”, New York: McGraw Hill Book Company, 1971.
[13] Hem, J. D., Study and interpretation of the chemical characteristics of natural water. Third Edition, United States Geological Survey Water-Supply Paper 2254. 1989.
[14] S.D. Faust, and O.M. Aly, "Chemistry of Water Treatment”, Second Edition, Ann Arbor Press Inc., USA. 1998
[15] R. J, Castle II, and J.N. Harn, "Case studies: aerobic vs anaerobic pretreatment of groundwater”, Groundwater, Avsapof, 2002.
[16] S.K. Khanal, "Overview of Anaerobic Biotechnology: Anaerobic Biotechnology for Bioenergy Production”, Wiley-Blackwell, 2009, pp. 1-27.
[17] A. Wolthoorn, E. Temminghoff, and W. van Riemsdijk, "Effect of synthetic iron colloids on the microbiological NH4+ removal process during groundwater purification.”,Water research, vol. 38, no.7, 2004, pp. 1884-1892.
[18] U. Rott, "Protection of groundwater quality by biochemical treatment in the aquifer”, IAHS Publ,vol. 173, 1990.
[19] D. John, "Chemical equilibrium diagrams for ground-water system”, 2003.
[20] D. Alkalay, L. Guerrero, J. M. Lema, R. Mendez, and R. Chamy, "Review: Anaerobic treatment of municipal sanitary landfill leachates: the problem of refractory and toxic components”, World Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology, vol. 14, no. 3, 1998, pp. 309-320.
[21] Cohen, R.R.H., Use of microbes for cost reduction of metal removal from metals and mining industry waste streams. Journal of Cleaner Production, 2006. 14(12-13): p. 1146-1157.
[22] R. D. Cameron, F. A. Koch, "Trace Metals and anaerobic digestion of leachate”, Journal of the Water Pollution Control Federation, vol. 52, 1980, pp. 282-292.
[23] Vogel, "VOGEL'S : Textbook of Macro and semimicro qualitative inorganic analysis revised by G. Shevla ”, 5ed, Longman Inc., 1979.
[24] M. M. M. Gonçalves, A. C. A. Da Costa, S. G. F. Leite, G. L. Sant'Anna, "Heavy metal removal from synthetic wastewaters in an anaerobic bioreactor using stillage from ethanol distilleries as a carbon sourc”, Chemosphere, vol. 69, no. 11, 2007, pp. 1815-1820.
[25] A. H. Nielsen, P. Lens, Jes, Vollertsen, and T. H. Jacobsen, "Sulfide iron interactions in domestic wastewater from a gravity sewer”, Water research, vol. 39, no.12, 2005, pp. 2747-2755.
[26] S.D. Kim, J. J. Kibane II, and K.C. Daniel, "Prevention of Acid Mine Drainage by Sulfate Reducing Bacteria: Organic Substrate Addition to Mine Waste Piles”, Environmental Engineering Science., 1999. vol. 16, no. 2,1999, pp. 139-145.
[27] S. Oana, and H. Ishikawa, "Sulfur isotopic fractionation between sulfur and sulfuric acid in the hydrothermal solution of sulfur dioxide”, Geochemical Journal, vol.1, 1966, pp. 45 - 50.
[28] H. Lin, Z.Li, K. Tohji, N. Tsuchiya, and N. Yamasaki, "Reaction of Sulfur with Water under Hydrothermal Conditions”, Proc.14th Int. Conference on the Properties of Water and Stream, 2005, pp. 365-368.
[29] N. Tsuchiya, y. Suto, T. Kabuta, S. Morikawa, and S. Yokoyama, "Sustainable hydrogen production system with sulfur–water–organic materials by hydrothermal reaction”, Journal of Materials Science, vol. 43, no. 7, 2008, pp. 2115-2122.
[30] M. E. Böttcher, B. Thamdrup, and T.W. Vennemann, "Oxygen and sulfur isotope fractionation during anaerobic bacterial disproportionation of elemental sulfur”, Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta, vol. 65, no.10, 2001, pp. 1601-1609.
[31] B. Thamdrup, K. Finster, J.W. Hansen, and F. Bak, "Bacterial disproportionation of elemental sulfur coupled to chemical reduction of iron or manganese”, Applied and environmental microbiology, vol. 59, no. 1,1993, pp. 101.
[32] M. Willow and R. Cohen, "Technical reports-Bioremediation And Biodegradation-Ph, Dissolved Oxygen, And Adsorption Effects On Metal Removal In Anaerobic Bioreactors”, Journal of Environmental Quality,. vol. 32, no.4, 2003, pp. 1212-1221.
[33] M. Grindstaff, "Bioremediation of chlorinated solvent contaminated groundwater”, Citeseer, United States Environmental Protection Agency. Technology Innovation Office, 1998
[34] T. Jong, and D.L. Parry, "Removal of sulfate and heavy metals by sulfate reducing bacteria in short-term bench scale upflow anaerobic packed bed reactor runs”, Water research, vol. 37, no.14, 2003, pp. 3379-3389.
[35] J.A. Saunders, M. K. Lee, M. Shamsudduha, P. Dhakal, A. Uddin, M. T. Chowdury,and K. M. Ahmed, "Geochemistry and mineralogy of arsenic in (natural) anaerobic groundwaters”, Applied Geochemistry, vol. 23, no. 11, 2008, pp. 3205-3214.
[36] G. Peters, W. Maher, J. Barford, and V. Gomes, "Selenium associations in estuarine sediments: Redox effects”, Water, Air, & Soil Pollution, vol. 99, no.1,1997, pp. 275-282.
[37] H. Peterson., R. Pratt, R. Neapetung, and O. Sortehaug, "Integrated Biological Filtration and Reverse Osmosis treatment of cold poor quality groundwater on the North American prairies”, Safe Drinking Water Foundation,IWA Publishing, vol. 5, 2006, pp. 424–432.
[38] L. Wang, Q. Zhou, and F.T. Li, " Avoiding propionic acid accumulation in the anaerobic process for biohydrogen production”, Biomass and Bioenergy, vol. 30 no.2, 2006, pp. 177-182.
[39] R.W. Morris,and J.G. O’Brien, "Oxygen and the Growth and Metabolism of Clostridium acetobutylicum.”, Microbiology, vol. 68, no. 3,1971, pp. 307-318.
[40] J. G. Morris, "The physiology of obligate anaerobiosis”, Adv. Microb. Physiol., vol. 12, 1975, pp. 169–246.
[41] A.D. Eaton, L.S. Clesceri, A. E. Greenberg, and M. A. H. Franson, "Standard methods for the examination of water & wastewater”, American Water Works Association, 19th ed, Water Environment Federation, 1995.
[42] S.R. Logan, "Fundamentals of Chemical Kinetics”, Addison Wesley Longman Limited, Edinburgh Gate, Harlow, England., 1996, pp. 9-11.
[43] Brown, Lemay and Bursten, "Chemistry: The Central Science”, Eigth Edition. Prentice-Hall, Inc. Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458, 2000, chap. 14, pp. 509 - 558.
[44] E. Denisov, O.Sarkisov, and G. I. Likhtenshtein, "Chemical Kinetics: Fundamentals and Recent Developments”, Elsevier B.V., 2003.
[45] M. R. Wright, "An Introduction to Chemical Kinetics”, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., 2005.
[46] D. Rickard, S. Grimes, I. Butler, A. Oldroyd, and K. L. Daives, "Botanical constraints on pyrite formation”, Chemical Geology, vol. 236, no. 4, 2007, pp. 228-246.
[47] R.A. Berner, "Iron Sulfides Formed from Aqueous Solution at Low Temperatures and Atmospheric Pressure”, The Journal of Geology, vol. 72 ,no. 3, 1964, pp. 293-306
[48] C. O’Sullivan, W. Clarke, and D. Lockington, "Sources of Hydrogen Sulfide in Groundwater on Reclaimed Land.", Journal of Environmental Engineering vol. 131, no. 3, 2005, pp. 471 - 477.
[49] W.M. Robson, "An Introduction to Chemical Kinetics”, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., 2005.
[50] M. Chrysochoou, and A. Ting, "A kinetic study of Cr(VI) reduction by calcium polysulfide”, Science of The Total Environment, vol. 409, no. 19, 2011 p. 4072-4077.
[51] Lan, Y., et al., Catalysis of Elemental Sulfur Nanoparticles on Chromium(VI) Reduction by Sulfide under Anaerobic Conditions. Environmental Science & Technology, 2005. 39(7): p. 2087-2094.
[52] Kim, C., et al., Chromium(VI) Reduction by Hydrogen Sulfide in Aqueous Media: Stoichiometry and Kinetics. Environmental Science & Technology, 2001. 35(11): p. 2219-2225.
[53] I. J. Buerge, and S. J. Hug, "Kinetics and pH Dependence of Chromium (VI) Reduction by Iron (II)", Environmental Science & Technology, vol. 31, no.5, 1997, pp. 1426-1432.