Problems in Czechoslovakia Regarding Methods of Removal of Nitrates from Drinking Water

Czechoslovak investigators have been studying the conditions necessary for active denitrifying organisms in the treatment of polluted groundwaters to be used for potable purposes. Heterotrophic denitrification has been investigated in artificial infiltration experiments at Tlumačov in South Moravia. Laboratory, model, pilot plant, and full scale experiments were carried out in situ in the natural rock aquifer of the headwaters of the Tři Dvory and Všetaty in Central Bohemia, and pilot plant experiments were undertaken using a biocatalyser in Břeclav. Polluted surface water and groundwater were applicated in the first stage of the experiments, and in the second stage, methyl and ethyl alcohol were tested. The experiments confirmed that more than 90% of the NO₃-N could be removed, and up to 60% of the COD could be converted to biomass or CO₂.