Drinking Water Production from Well Water with High Sulfur and Sulfur Bacteria Content
Publication: Journal of Environmental Engineering
Volume 134, Issue 5
Abstract
Problems with treatment of Ahaste well water (Audru Parish, Pärnu County, Estonia) were studied in field conditions. The groundwater contains a significant amount of sulfur, from which at about 70–90% is in the form of hydrogen sulfide ion and 30–10% in the form of dissolved . After aeration in the summer, this water formed an unknown slimy microbial mass with a distinct sulfuric odor, which clogged the aeration tanks, catalytic filters, and even the distribution network up to the consumers. After laboratory analyses, it was established that this unknown microbial mass is obviously the filiform sulfur bacteria Thiothrix, together with particles of free sulfur. It was found that this mass formed during enrichment under warm conditions using air as the oxidizer. Under these conditions, elemental sulfur was liberated and created favorable conditions for the Thiothrix to thrive using the elemental sulfur as their food source. A new treatment technology for this well water was developed using ozone as a strong oxidant/disinfectant, followed by filtration through an Everzit-Special, a material, which besides filtration, partially behaves as an adsorbent. The capital and operation costs of the new technology were estimated.
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Acknowledgments
The writers would like to thank Dr. Urve Kallavus from the Centre of the Materials Studies of Tallinn University of Technology for the roentgendifractometric analysis and polarizing microscopical analysis of the sulfur deposit, Dr. Anne Menert and Dr. Viia Lepane from the Faculty of Natural Sciences of Tallinn University of Technology for their very valuable advice. The writers also thank the Laboratory of Tallinn Drinking Water Treatment Plant and Microbiological Laboratory of the Health Protection Inspection for the microbiological analyses of the deposit,Mr. Peeter Viik from the Auveka Ltd. (Ahaste) for his kind help and cooperation in carrying out these difficult, but interesting, field studies. And last, but not least, Mr. David Schryer is thanked for his help in the preparation of this paper.
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Information & Authors
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Published In
Journal of Environmental Engineering
Volume 134 • Issue 5 • May 2008
Pages: 376 - 381
Copyright
© 2008 ASCE.
History
Received: Oct 12, 2006
Accepted: Jun 15, 2007
Published online: May 1, 2008
Published in print: May 2008
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