Removal of High Concentrations of Ammonium from Groundwater in a Pilot-Scale System through Aeration at the Bottom Layer of a Chemical Catalytic Oxidation Filter

Abstract

To remove high concentrations of ammonium from groundwater, pure oxygen and compressed air were fed into a chemical catalytic filter and the ammonium removal efficiency was investigated. The experimental results showed that the oxygen content is the critical limiting factor for ammonium removal. Aeration with 40 mL/min pure oxygen or 100 mL/min compressed air from the bottom of the filter supplied adequate oxygen and approximately 4.2 mg/L of ammonium was removed in this process. Moreover, when the aeration device was moved to 1/3 of the height of the filter bed, the required flow rates of pure oxygen and compressed air decreased further and the turbidity removal was improved. Pouring ozone gas into the filter system, which can inactivate bacteria effectively, can also obtain the remarkable ammonium removal, indicating that ammonium removal was mainly due to the chemical catalytic oxidation in this process rather than the biodegradation. This study provides a novel method for removing high concentrations of ammonium from groundwater.