PROCESS DEVELOPMENT FOR MANGANESE AND IRON REMOVAL FROM WELLS` WATER

The use of reclaimed water after Soil Aquifer Treatment (SAT, Shafdan plant) is constantly increasing due to the water scarcity problem. In order to provide water of suitable quality it is necessary to develop a preliminary treatment for effective and fast removal of Mn and Fe from supplied water. The MnM is a material that has been discovered as a sewage sludge that blocks pipes in the “Shafdan”. “Mekorot” has developed a process to remove Mn from wells water, which consists of catalytic adsorption and oxidation of Mn dissolved on MnM. The MnM was found to have high adsorption capacity for other metals.

This project examines the ability of the material to simultaneously remove Fe and Mn, and to create a continuous process that competes with the existing conventional treatment. The MnM is a catalyst for oxidation process by oxygen, which results from the presence of Mn⁺³ ions in the material that precipitates oxidation.

The batch experiment was carried out to test the adsorption capacity, followed by a column experiment and finally a run was conducted at the “Shafdan” site where the flow was performed for one month. Although there is a competition between Mn and Fe, under certain conditions a good adsorption of both Mn and Fe is obtained. In order to find optimal conditions for effective and simultaneous disposal, a change in concentrations and ratios of the ions was conducted. Indeed, these conditions were found. Implementation of the process at the “Shafdan” presented effective and efficient removal of Fe and Mn together. Moreover, it was shown that the MnM research is efficient and does not require replacement or current treatment due to self-regeneration.