Nitrate contamination of groundwater is an important issue in rural areas. In this study, an electrolytic method for the denitrification of groundwater was investigated in a laboratory reactor. We used an ion-exchange membrane, employing a titanium oxide anode and five kinds of cathode for the investigation. The nitrate removal efficiencies with Cu, Pb, Ti/Ir/Ru, Ti/Ir/Ta, and Zn cathodes were 30.0%, 59.9%, 73.8%, 23.3%, and 80.6%, respectively. A cation-selective membrane was employed to separate the electrode compartments, and only the proton produced in the anode side was permitted to the cathode side in order to avoid reversible reactions. In terms of the nitrate removal, good experimental results were obtained by using the membrane reactor equipped with the Zn cathode. The nitrate concentration level dropped from 30 to 6 mg/L, which is below the limit for drinking water. The pH was not affected significantly by the current density and it increased up to 9.0 at 100 mA/cm2. The nitrate removal efficiency showed the highest value with 1 mM of NaCl as an electrolyte. The impression was that membrane electrolysis made it possible to avoid the re-oxidation problem. It appears clear that electrolytic denitrification with an ion-exchange membrane is a very effective process with a mean energy consumption of only between 26.9 and 112.9 kWh/kg-NO3.
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July 03 2015
Electrolytic denitrification with an ion-exchange membrane in groundwater Available to Purchase
Yoo Jin Kim;
Yoo Jin Kim
1Department of Civil Environmental System Engineering, Konkuk University, 120 Neungdong-ro, Gwangjin-gu, Seoul, Korea
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Kwanyong Lee;
Kwanyong Lee
1Department of Civil Environmental System Engineering, Konkuk University, 120 Neungdong-ro, Gwangjin-gu, Seoul, Korea
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Ho Young Cha;
Ho Young Cha
1Department of Civil Environmental System Engineering, Konkuk University, 120 Neungdong-ro, Gwangjin-gu, Seoul, Korea
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Kyung Min Yoo;
Kyung Min Yoo
2Jiu Corporation, B-816 Ganseo Hangang Xi 401, Yangcheon-ro, Gangseo-gu, Seoul, Korea
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Chil Sung Jeon;
Chil Sung Jeon
2Jiu Corporation, B-816 Ganseo Hangang Xi 401, Yangcheon-ro, Gangseo-gu, Seoul, Korea
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Hee Jun Kim;
Hee Jun Kim
2Jiu Corporation, B-816 Ganseo Hangang Xi 401, Yangcheon-ro, Gangseo-gu, Seoul, Korea
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Daegi Kim;
Daegi Kim
1Department of Civil Environmental System Engineering, Konkuk University, 120 Neungdong-ro, Gwangjin-gu, Seoul, Korea
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Ki Young Park
1Department of Civil Environmental System Engineering, Konkuk University, 120 Neungdong-ro, Gwangjin-gu, Seoul, Korea
E-mail: [email protected]
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Water Supply (2015) 15 (6): 1320–1325.
Article history
Received:
February 04 2015
Accepted:
May 27 2015
Citation
Yoo Jin Kim, Kwanyong Lee, Ho Young Cha, Kyung Min Yoo, Chil Sung Jeon, Hee Jun Kim, Daegi Kim, Ki Young Park; Electrolytic denitrification with an ion-exchange membrane in groundwater. Water Supply 1 December 2015; 15 (6): 1320–1325. doi: https://doi.org/10.2166/ws.2015.079
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