A new type of environment-friendly material and its removal efficiency for nitrate contaminated groundwater

Abstract:

Recently, nitrate contaminated groundwater problem is a growing concern for scholars both at home and abroad. This study developed a new type of environment-friendly material which has the ability to remove nitrate from contaminated groundwater. The material has a certain degree of mechanical strength and uniform sphericity, with waste wood and straw as raw material, to achieve the purpose of using waste treat waste. In this study, the material and fine sand are mixed and filled in glass column, which is wrapped by black tape in order to avoid light, to test the removal ability toward nitrate nitrogen with influent nitrate nitrogen concentration of 50 mg N/L. The material surface is porous, which could facilitate the reaction between the active sites in the material and nitrate in polluted groundwater, and facilitate microbes implanting on the surface. After running for two months, the nitrate nitrogen removal rate is greater than 90%, and the nitrate nitrogen and nitrite nitrogen of effluent are lower than the EPA prescribed maximum limit concentration of nitrate in drinking water（N0₃^--N<10mg N/L, NO₂^--N<1mg N/L）, while the ammonia nitrogen in the effluent is less than 1 mg N/L, lower than the maximum limit concentration of ammonia nitrogen in drinking water made by WHO(NH₄⁺-N<1.5mg N/L), indicating its effective removal rate for nitrate and the absence of serious nitrite and ammonia accumulation. The developed material will have a good prospect in removing nitrate from polluted groundwater.