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Summary Report: Pilot Study of an Innovative Biological Treatment Process for the Removal of Ammonia from a Small Drinking Water System
Citation:
Lytle, D., C. White, D. Williams, L. Koch, AND E. Nauman. Summary Report: Pilot Study of an Innovative Biological Treatment Process for the Removal of Ammonia from a Small Drinking Water System. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, DC, EPA/600/R-12/655, 2013.
Impact/Purpose:
The objective of this work was to demonstrate the effectiveness of a biological water treatment approach to remove ammonia and iron from the City of Palo, Iowa’s source of drinking water through a pilot study. The study will also identify operating parameters necessary to meet the desired goal of complete ammonia and iron removal, and the design of a full-scale system with the same goals. Study results will benefit Palo, the State of Iowa, EPA Region 7, and many other states and communities across the United States by providing guidance on the design and operation of biological treatment systems for ammonia removal.
Description:
The use of biologically active filtration to oxidize ammonia as a full-scale drinking water treatment process has not been thoroughly considered in the United States. A number of concerns with biological water treatment exist including the potential release of excessive numbers of bacteria into finished waters, sensitivity of bacteria to changes in water chemistry and operating conditions, and a lack of long term documentation of the effectiveness, design and operation of biological water treatment processes. As a result, the objective of this work was to demonstrate the effectiveness of an innovative biological water treatment approach to remove elevated ammonia levels (>1.5 mg N/L) in a community water supply in Iowa. The study identified system design parameters necessary to meet the desired goal of complete ammonia and iron removal, and outlined system operating recommendations.