Removal of Iron from Groundwater

Sources : Iron exists naturally in rivers, lakes, and underground water. It may
also be released to water from natural deposits, industrial wastes, refining of
iron ores, and corrosion of iron containing metals. The combination of naturally
occurring organic material and iron can be found in shallow wells and surface
water. This water is usually yellow or brown but may be colorless.

Health effects : Iron is an essential nutrient for good health. It is a major

component of hemoglobin, which is used to transport oxygen and carbon
dioxide in the blood. Iron deficiency can enhance lead absorption and toxicity;
anyone with increased blood lead levels should be tested for iron deficiency.
The ingestion of large quantities of iron can damage blood vessels, cause
bloody vomitus/stool, and damage the liver and kidneys, and even cause
death.

Iron pollutant in water affected places : Iron content above permissible level of 0.3 ppm is found
in 23 districts from 4 states, namely, Bihar, Rajasthan, Tripura and West Bengal and coastal Orissa and
parts of Agartala valley in Tripura.

Removal Methods :
In cases of iron levels higher than 0.3 ppm, sequestration is not possible, and therefore the iron must be
physically removed from the water.
Removing dissolved iron is a two-stage process:
The first stage is oxidising the dissolved iron and transforming it from soluble form to insoluble ferric
form, where the small oxidised iron particles (rust) become suspended in the water.
In the second stage, it is necessary to remove the suspended particles from the water. This process is
regularly done through filtration, and its success is entirely dependent on the quality of the filtration
process. Improper and insufficient filtration may jeopardise the entire iron removal process.
Iron oxidation :
There are many methods for oxidising iron, including softening it with lime or by using agents such as
chlorine dioxide (ClO2), ozone (O3) or by potassium permanganate (KMnO4). However, the most costeffective, environmentally friendly and commonly used method for oxidising iron is by aeration.
Iron is easily oxidised by atmospheric oxygen and the aeration process provides the dissolved oxygen
needed to convert the iron into an insoluble form, without the use of chemicals. It takes 0.14 ppm of
dissolved oxygen to oxidise 1 ppm of iron.
It should be noted that the aeration process requires careful control, as insufficient air flow will not
properly oxidise the iron. At the same time, if the air flow is too high, the water may become saturated
with dissolved oxygen and become corrosive.
Two methods of aeration are commonly used: dispersing the water into the air and bubbling air into the
water. Other aeration methods include the use of cascade trays, cone aerators, and porous air stones.
It is important to ensure successful completion of the aeration process by allowing at least 20 minutes of
detention time before filtration. This is regularly done by installing a reaction tank downstream of the

aeration basin. The water pH affects the reaction time and therefore it is necessary to monitor and correct
the pH during the detention process.
Common filtration technologies :
After the oxidation stage, the precipitated material (Fe(OH)3) should be removed from the water, either
by filtration or by sedimentation followed by filtration.
There are many filtration technologies that may be used for removing oxidised iron from water, including
steel strainers, layered screen filters, disk filters, deep media filters, textile fibres and cartridge filters.
A common filtration technology is deep media filtration, in which the filters remove the oxidised iron
particles through a thick layer of graded sand, gravel or other granular materials. With this method, the
filtration rate depends on the active surface size of the bedding, as well as the velocity at which the water
flows through the filter.
However, the media filtration method has some major drawbacks, including a very high percentage of
rejected water. In addition, iron bacteria cause the media particles to stick together and allow unfiltered
water to flow freely through gaps created in the filter media. Ultimately, the filtration quality drops over
time and the unclean bedding causes bacteria and other unwanted organisms to thrive
Micro fibre filtration for iron removal
Self cleaning micro fibre filtration is a new technology combining the filtration effectiveness of cartridge
filtration with the low operational costs associated with self-cleaning filtration technologies. It has proven
to be very effective in removing oxidised iron particles generated by a regular oxidation process of water
that was contaminated with dissolved iron.
The basic component of this technology is the cassette, which is a filter media consisting of a grooved rigid
plastic plate over which multi-layer textile threads have been wound. The thread type and tension,
together with the number of layers, defines the filtration degree, which can range from twenty down to
two microns.
The cassettes are connected to a collector pipe and form a unified package; the packages are attached to
one another to form a cartridge, which is then installed in the filter housing.
The water containing the oxidised iron flows through the threads, into the grooves and through the
collector pipe to the customer's system.
The large iron particles are immediately blocked on the surface of the multiple layers of thread, while
finer particles that penetrate the surface are trapped deeper inside the thread layers. As the iron is
stopped, the filter differential pressure gradually increases.
The self cleaning sequence begins when the differential pressure reaches a pre-set level. It shoots high
pressure water jets through the thread layers of the cassette, and the jets hit the plastic wall and are
forced backwards. This creates a powerful spot back flush, which carries the trapped iron particles out of
the cassette's thread layers and to the drain system.
One of the significant advantages of self cleaning micro fibre technology over sand media filtration is the
ability to overcome the major drawback already mentioned - iron-bacteria growth causing the traditional
media particles to stick together and allowing the unfiltered water to flow freely through the gaps and
between the lumps. This phenomenon is entirely prevented by using the micro fibre technology, due to the

very nature of the cassette's structure.

In addition, the percentage of rejected water using the micro fibre filtration technology is much lower
than that of the sand media filtration. This greatly reduces the energy and operational costs of the entire
iron removal process.

Newterra's modular iron removal systems

incorporate advanced

Deferum technology allowing efficient treatment of iron concentrations up to 100

ppm over a wide range of flow rates.
Treatment Targets: Iron (ferrous, ferric, bacterial and organic)

The presence of iron in groundwater can pose significant design, operational and cost
implications to remediation processes. newterra iron removal solutions provide an
effective, cost-efficient approach to removing iron from water. The newterra Iron Removal
System is based on a process of intensive aeration/degasification followed by filtration.
The core of the system is special Polymer Floating Media which effectively filters the
water, but does not require regeneration or replacement.

The system first oxidizes the ferrous (dissolved) iron, which allows the removal of all four
types of iron to levels below 0.3 ppm. Backflush containing the concentrated iron is
chemically treated and run through an automatic particulate filter. Capable of handling
iron concentrations from 5 to 100 ppm (on a non-reagent basis), the newterra iron removal
system also helps reduce other pollutants, including hydrogen sulphide, carbon dioxide,
methane, radon, manganese, and organic substances.
Advantages of an Iron Removal System:

Designed for removal of high iron levels from 5 to 100 ppm

Chemical-free iron oxidation process

Uses less backwash water - and requires no pump for backflushing

Higher backwash iron concentrations

Compact footprint for easy integration to existing treatment trains

Low cost of operation and maintenance