Nitrate Removal from Drinking Water Wells by Heterotrophic Denitrification Using Citric Acid as a Carbon Source and Ozonation

Nitrate removal using biological heterotrophic denitrification is one of the most effective and economical processes to remove nitrate from drinking water. In recent studies, carbon sources such as acetic acid, methanol, ethanol, glucose, etc. have been used as a carbon source for heterotrophic bacteria. Inevitable residues of these carbon sources in effluent water and the cost of them are the key challenges for applying these carbon sources in drinking water, in the operational scales. To overcome these challenges, in this research, citric acid produced from sugar beet is used as a harmless, relatively economical and accessible carbon source. Also, to remove the remaining trace amounts of carbon source in denitrified water and disinfection of treated water, ozonation has been used as a dual-purpose process. Pilot studies of this process during the operation of about one year on natural water of one of the wells of North Khorasan province in Iran with the nitrate concentration of 104±10 ppm ppm as NO3- showed that in four column bioreactor packed with different media such as natural river gravel, polypropylene plastic (PP), polyethylene plastic (PE) and Pumice aggregates and by carbon to nitrogen ratio (C/N) of about stoichiometric amount and HRT of greater than 4 hours and without any other chemical addition, the nitrate removal rate of greater than 85% can be achieved. In the carbon concentrations, about 1.5 times the stoichiometric value and the HRT of about 5 to 7 hours, the removal efficiency can be as high as 95%. Ozonation of treated water in 30 to 60 minutes also showed that the ozone has the capability of the complete removal of carbon residuals in effluent of the process from 15-30 ppm as COD to about zero.