Organics removal groundwaters

Fu P., Ruiz H., Lozier J., Thompson K., Spangenberg C. (1995), A pilot study on groundwater natural organics removal by low-pressure membranes. Desalination, 102, 47-56. 

Volatile organic contaminants occur primarily in groundwaters as a result of the disposal of industrial solvents on the ground or in soakage pits. The removal of these compounds has best been accompHshed by the use of air stripping or adsorption on activated carbon. 

Potable Water Treatment. Treatment of drinking water accounts for about 24% of the total activated carbon used in Hquid-phase apphcations (74). Rivers, lakes, and groundwater from weUs, the most common drinking water sources, are often contaminated with bacteria, vimses, natural vegetation decay products, halogenated materials, and volatile organic compounds. Normal water disinfection and filtration treatment steps remove or destroy the bulk of these materials (75). However, treatment by activated carbon is an important additional step in many plants to remove toxic and other organic materials (76—78) for safety and palatability. 

Multiphase extraction uses a vacuum system to remove various combinations of contaminated groundwater, separate-phase petroleum product, and vapors from the subsurface. The system lowers the water table around the well, exposing more of the formation. Contaminants in the newly exposed vadose zone are then accessible to vapor extraction. Once above ground, the extracted vapors or liquid-phase organics and groundwater are separated and treated. 

Membrane filtration processes have been successfully applied to the field of environmental engineering for air pollution control,34 potable water purification,22-24 groundwater decontamination,35,36 industrial effluent treatment,37 hazardous leachate treatment,35,36 and site remediation,36 mainly because membrane filtration can remove heavy metals and organics. 

So far, only aerobic processes have proved to be effective for in situ removal of organic waste in groundwater and soil. 

Kavanaugh, M.C. and Trussel, R.R., Air stripping as a pre-treatment process, in Organic Chemical Contaminants in Groundwater Transport and Removal, American Water Works Association, Denver, CO, 1981, pp. 83-106. 

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