Removal of ammonium for drinking water by biological treatment and by electrodialysis

Abstract

Ammonium constitutes a hampering element in the production of drinking water. It interferes with the chlorination to form chloramines so modifying the smell and the taste of the water. This paper presents the description and the optimization operations of the biggest biological treatment plant in Morocco for the elimination of ammonium in the presence of sulphides. The difficulties met and the steps taken to surmount them are described. These steps greatly improved performance but did not reach the planned and the contractual requirements. The paper also presents the preliminary results of ammonium removal by an electrodialysis pilot plant. The ED tests showed excellent performance and the water quality was significantly improved, especially the TDS.

Electrodialysis (ED) based processes for resource recovery

“…Specifically, ED with alternatively arranged cation-exchange and anion-exchange membranes is a promising technology for nutrient concentration and recovery from wastewater. For instance, Khaoua et al [51] used a pilot scale ED to remove ammonium from wastewater, the ED process showed excellent performance for water quality improvement especially the TDS removal. Mondor et al [52] and Ippersiel et al [53] g/L was achieved in their study.…”