The on-site feasibility study of iron and manganese removal from groundwater by hollow-fiber microfiltration

The aim of this research was to investigate the removal of iron and manganese from groundwater by aeration, chlorine oxidation and microfiltration (MF). Pilot-scale experiments were performed at the Chang-Hua Water Treatment Plant in Taiwan. The raw waters contained soluble iron (0.4 mg/L) and manganese (0.5 mg/L) which were oxidized by chlorine and then filtered by hollow-fiber PTFE-MF. The oxidized particles on membranes under appropriate backwash were also investigated. The particle size and quality of treated water were examined. The experimental results indicated that the concentration of the residual manganese remained greater than 0.1 mg/L in treated water during the initial operation period. However, it decreased to below 0.01 mg/L after 2 weeks processing time. The scanning electron microscopy (SEM) energy dispersive spectroscopy analysis of oxidized metal particles under each process illustrated that the particles accumulated on membrane enhanced removal of iron and manganese, through autocatalytic activity in the accumulated layer on membrane. Moreover, the membrane operation pressure over 120 kPa was suggested for the active backwash process, where no structural damage on membrane was confirmed by SEM analysis.