Perchlorate Destruction and Potable Water Production Using Membrane Biofilm Reduction and Membrane Filtration

Abstract

This study demonstrated use of a membrane biofilm reactor (MBfR) for drinking water treatment from perchlorate- and nitrate- contaminated groundwater. The MBfR used anoxic autotrophic biodegradation for the complete destruction of perchlorate and nitrate. The objectives were to demonstrate the feasibility of MBfR to destroy perchlorate and nitrate in groundwater and produce potable water at the pilot scale, evaluate process control parameters to optimize performance, and estimate full-scale technology costs. These objectives were successfully demonstrated. The study included four phases: Start-Up, Optimization, Steady State, and a Challenge phase to assess system robustness and resiliency. Using indigenous organisms, the MBfR was colonized with perchlorate- and nitrate-reducing bacteria within approximately one month. Perchlorate was reduced by approximately 94 percent to 9.2 2.3 g/L in the effluent of the lag reactor during Steady State. Total nitrogen (the sum of nitrate and nitrite) was reduced by approximately 99 percent to an average of 0.12 0.07 mg-N/L in the effluent of the lag reactor during Steady State.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Nov 18, 2013
Accession Number
ADA602379

Entities

People

  • Bruce Rittman
  • Clyde Arucan
  • Daniel Berokoff
  • David Friese
  • Hoon Hyung
  • Jennifer E Smith
  • Patrick Evans
  • Renato Vigo
  • Ryan Overstreet
  • Tony Singh

Organizations

  • Arizona State University

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Biomedical
  • Engineered Resilient Systems
  • Ground and Sea Platforms
  • Human Systems
  • Weapons Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Alkenes
  • Biodegradation
  • Buffers (Chemistry)
  • Chemical Reactions
  • Chemical Synthesis
  • Chemistry
  • Drinking Water
  • Ecology
  • Environmental Protection
  • Groundwater
  • Health Services
  • Material Degradation Processes
  • Materials Laboratories
  • Materials Processing
  • Materials Science
  • Materials Testing
  • Test Methods

Fields of Study

  • Environmental science

Readers

  • Groundwater Contamination Remediation.
  • Mathematics or Statistics
  • Microbial Pathology

Technology Areas

  • Biotechnology
  • Biotechnology - Bioremediation