Mitigating Ammonia Pollution in Water - Can There Be Any Suitable Coagulant?

Dear Friends, I am working on a research plan to mitigate ammonia pollution in water with the help of a desert plant extract (Yucca). I have taken its stem and powdered. This powder reduces ammonia in water but the residue/ turbidity/ colloidal particles that it leaves in water do not get settled by any coagulant like Alum, PACl, FeCl3, Tanfloc and ZnSO4.

What should I use to coagulate the colloidal suspension in water? Meanwhile, I have also got a leachate sample collected from Delhi which also does not get coagulated by any mean. Please, advice / suggest some way.

Regards

Lokesh Kumar

Chartered Chemist, Delhi, India

Taxonomy

• Treatment
• Treatment Methods
• Biological Treatment
• Coagulants
• Drinking Water Treatment
• Filtration
• Decontamination
• Biological & Chemical Quality
• Biological Treatment
• Drinking Water
• water treatment
• Landfill Leachate

13 Answers

1. I do not know the sizing of your colloid and how much??. If you cannot use all coagulant that will tell you to step to using polymer...But for me filtration will be the best because you can use the rock, media then you get clear water.

2. Normally colloids are negatively charged.

   In your specific water, the colloids may be positively charged. Use synthetic/natural anionic polyelectrolytes for your study.

3. It depends on the situation and the way your system is designed but I have had tremendous results removing ammonia using Phytoremediation. I have over the past few years designed a Hydroponic Bioreactor specifically for the removal of nutrients from Wastewater. I use Vetiver grass in my system and it works perfectly with no flocking or sludge wasting required. If you are interested send me an email and I will forward you the information. 

4. You will have the analysis of pH, alkalinity, hardness, etc., in addition, try adding cassava powder plus an anionic flocculant high load or high cationic load.

5. Can you check re z potential and try with  some polymer. You also can use filtration, such as microfiltration, according to the particle size.

6. Try Chitosan

7. you can even oxidize the ammonia with chlorine.

8. Lokesh, you could consider highly cationicaly charged polyamine or polydadmac to overcome dispersion effect from ammonia.  Also monitor zeta potential.   You can also consider a sequence of anionic (sodium aluminate) and cationic coagulants  (ferric chloride, ferric sulfate, alum) followed by LMW polymer.   

   Other approaches would be to adsorb on GAC or centrifuge.

   Manuel

9. Dear Sir

   1. You can use engineering wetland by addind flow and fluk by calculation from others water hyacinth plants.

   2. Secondly, you said there are no cuagulation which can be settle down SS turbidity for my experience I have never met..but it is good point. For me I will find out optimum pH, conc, dosing rate...etc.

   3. Thirdly,I think about biofilm with can filtrate all in Thailand I have a team who expertise for fixfilm technology.

   If you have more details that will be fine. AGGIE Energy and Environment Consultant Freelancer..BKK Thailand....aggasit2012@gmail.com

10. Hello Mr Lokesh

    You can use Moringa seed (in powder form), to minimize ​residue/ ​turbidity/ colloidal ​particles. It has well-known property for these parameters. For Ammonia also, it works in some extent. 

     

    Suraj Bhagat

    surajenv@gmail.com

11. Hi Lokesh,

    It seems to me you are creating a new problem by solving another. In my opinion not very sustainable. Ammonia can effectively be removed using biological processes like nitrification or annamox. Why grow a plant and powder it and add it to remove ammonia? 

    2 Comments

    1. Dear Robert, Yes, it look like as you told.

    2. Great advice Robert. Too many chemists involved. If I am not mistaken primordial microbes were here a few billion years before any chemist.

12. Ammonia is a strong complexing and dispersing agent and needs to be denitrified before trying to treat other elements in effluent. 

13. What is the particle size ? if it is big enough you should consider filtration from the basin.

    1 Comment

    1. Size are very minute and get filtered through ordinary filter paper