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Regenerating an Arsenic Removal Iron‐Based Adsorptive Media System, Part 1: The Regeneration Process
Author(s) -
Sorg Thomas J.,
Chen Abraham S.C.,
Wang Lili,
Kolisz Raymond
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
journal ‐ american water works association
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.466
H-Index - 74
eISSN - 1551-8833
pISSN - 0003-150X
DOI - 10.5942/jawwa.2017.109.0045
Subject(s) - arsenic , maximum contaminant level , stripping (fiber) , regeneration (biology) , waste management , contamination , reuse , environmental science , process (computing) , chemistry , computer science , engineering , ecology , organic chemistry , microbiology and biotechnology , electrical engineering , biology , operating system
Adsorptive media technology is frequently used by small water systems to remove arsenic because of its simplicity and efficiency. Current practice is to replace the media when it no longer reduces arsenic below the maximum contaminant level of 10 µg/L that the US Environmental Protection Agency has set for drinking water. Media replacement typically accounts for approximately 80% of the total operational and maintenance costs. One potential option to reduce the cost is onsite regeneration and reuse of the media. To evaluate the regeneration option, three consecutive regeneration studies were conducted on a full‐scale adsorptive media system. This article, the first of a two‐part series, describes the regeneration process and its efficacy in stripping arsenic and other contaminants from exhausted media. Study results found that a three‐step regeneration process of media backwash, caustic regeneration, and acid neutralization conditioning proved effective for stripping arsenic and other contaminants from the exhausted media.