Iron and manganese removal on a household scale by physical methods

Abstract

Nowadays, not only in rural areas but also in suburbs of some large cities, people are still struggling with heavy metal polluted water sources. Iron and manganese are two main metals that pollute the water. Along with the development of mining activities, the high metals content and the microbes available in the soil have been increasing the iron and manganese contents in groundwater exceeding the allowed limits.

There is a demand for domestic water filtering system that can treat Fe and Mn impurities. The system should be simple, easy to build and effective in operation. In this thesis, the formation mechanisms of iron and manganese in water and their treatment methods were studied and a proper design of a treatment system on a household scale was created. This design could be realized in Vietnam where many ores are located along the country.

The system has two main stages. The first step is aeration, which provides oxygen for metals in the water in order to oxidize Fe and Mn to be precipitative hydroxides, which are physically removable. The second stage is using slow sand filter and activated charcoal to purify the water.