Arsenic (V) removal from drinking water by ferric salt and aluminum salt coagulation/microfiltration process

Two lab-scale coagulation/microfiltration membrane reactors were used to compare the arsenic removal from drinking water by ferric salt and aluminum salt coagulation/microfiltration process. FeCl3 and Al2(SO4)3 were appointed as the coagulants. The results show that the arsenic removal efficiency of the two processes are almost equal. Arsenic concentration can be lowered from about 100 μg/L to below 10 μg/L and the lowest is 1.68 μg · L-1. All of the turbidity of the treated water is less than 0.1 NTU. The concentrations of ferric, aluminum and SO42- of the treated water are entirely satisfied the standard of drinking water. After treated by ferric salt process, pH value of the treated water is increased about 0.5. However, aluminum salt process does not change pH of the drinking water. The concentration ratio of the ferric salt process is 1791 which is about 2.54 times of the aluminum salt process. Arsenic concentration of the sludge of ferric salt process is also higher greatly than that of the aluminum salt process. Therefore, the volume of the sludge produced by the ferric salt process is smaller than that of the aluminum salt process when equal amount of drinking water was treated. Accordingly, ferric salt process should be used when only high concentration arsenic existed in drinking water. On the other hand, fluoride also can be removed simultaneously while arsenic was removed by aluminum salt process. The amount of coagulant needed is the amount of coagulant required to remove fluoride separately. Fluoride can not be removed from drinking water by the ferric salt process. It was concluded that aluminum salt process should be used to remove arsenic and fluoride simultaneously from high arsenic and high fluoride coexisted drinking water.