title: Ambient iron-mediated aeration (IMA) for water reuse.
abstract: Global water shortages caused by rapidly expanding population, escalating water consumption, and dwindling water reserves have rendered water reuse a strategically significant approach to meet current and future water demand. This study is the first to our knowledge to evaluate the technical feasibility of iron-mediated aeration (IMA), an innovative, potentially economical, holistic, oxidizing co-precipitation process operating at room temperature, atmospheric pressure, and neutral pH, for water reuse. In the IMA process, dissolved oxygen (O₂) was continuously activated by zero-valent iron (Fe⁰) to produce reactive oxygen species (ROS) at ambient pH, temperature, and pressure. Concurrently, iron sludge was generated as a result of iron corrosion. Bench-scale tests were conducted to study the performance of IMA for treatment of secondary effluent, natural surface water, and simulated contaminated water. The following removal efficiencies were achieved: 82.2% glyoxylic acid, ~100% formaldehyde as an oxidation product of glyoxylic acid, 94% of Ca²⁺ and associated alkalinity, 44% of chemical oxygen demand (COD), 26% of electrical conductivity (EC), 98% of di-n-butyl phthalate (DBP), 80% of 17β-estradiol (E2), 45% of total nitrogen (TN), 96% of total phosphorus (TP), 99.8% of total Cr, >90% of total Ni, 99% of color, 3.2 log removal of total coliform, and 2.4 log removal of E. Coli. Removal was attributed principally to chemical oxidation, precipitation, co-precipitation, coagulation, adsorption, and air stripping concurrently occurring during the IMA treatment. Results suggest that IMA is a promising treatment technology for water reuse.
authors.affiliation: Department of Civil, Architectural, and Environmental Engineering, University of Miami, Coral Gables, FL 33124, USA.
authors.forename: Yang
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Deng
authors.forename: James D
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Englehardt
authors.forename: Samer
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Abdul-Aziz
authors.forename: Tristan
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Bataille
authors.forename: Josenrique
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Cueto
authors.forename: Omar
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: De Leon
authors.forename: Mary E
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Wright
authors.forename: Piero
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Gardinali
authors.forename: Aarthi
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Narayanan
authors.forename: Jose
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Polar
authors.forename: Shibata
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Tomoyuki
mesh_terms: D000327:Adsorption; D011232:Chemical Precipitation; D003343:Corrosion; D004553:Electric Conductivity; D004755:Enterobacteriaceae / Q000254:growth & development / Q000302:isolation & purification; D005240:Feasibility Studies; D006863:Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; D007501:Iron / Q000737:chemistry*; D050296:Microbial Viability; D010084:Oxidation-Reduction; D010100:Oxygen / Q000032:analysis* / Q000737:chemistry; D017382:Reactive Oxygen Species / Q000032:analysis / Q000737:chemistry; D062611:Solid Waste / Q000032:analysis; D012995:Solubility; D013232:Steel / Q000737:chemistry; D062065:Wastewater / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000382:microbiology; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000032:analysis / Q000737:chemistry*; D018508:Water Purification / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods*; D060753:Water Quality; D062066:Water Resources / Q000032:analysis
chemical_list: D007501:Iron; D010100:Oxygen; D017382:Reactive Oxygen Species; D062611:Solid Waste; D013232:Steel; D062065:Wastewater; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical