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The Use of Bone Charcoal in the Treatment of Rural Water Supplies
Author(s) -
LEWIS J.
Publication year - 1995
Publication title -
water and environment journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.437
H-Index - 37
eISSN - 1747-6593
pISSN - 1747-6585
DOI - 10.1111/j.1747-6593.1995.tb00956.x
Subject(s) - trihalomethane , charcoal , slow sand filter , water treatment , raw water , environmental science , remedial action , water quality , filtration (mathematics) , waste management , environmental engineering , water supply , activated charcoal , chemistry , adsorption , environmental remediation , engineering , contamination , mathematics , ecology , statistics , organic chemistry , biology
As a result of the Water Act of 1989 on the quality of water intended for human consumption, a number of small spring sources in Yorkshire were the subject of legal undertakings for remedial action to reduce the concentration of trihalomethanes in the distribution system. The trihalomethanes are formed when the colour in these waters, which is made up of predominantly fulvic and humic acids, is chlorinated. Therefore, in order to solve the problem of trihalomethanes in treated water, colour removal was necessary. The paper describes the use of bone charcoal in slow sand filters to remove colour from rural water supplies. It covers six months pilot‐plant work which was undertaken at Marsett water‐treatment works (near Richmond), and the implementation at other plants within Yorkshire. low‐rate filtration through bone charcoal ensured that the colour and trihalomethane concentrations in filtered water complied with EC standards, and the material coped well with rapid changes in raw water quality.