Remoção de microcistina-LR de água utilizando coagulação com reagente de Fenton, floculação, decantação e filtração seguido de carvão ativado granular

Abstract

This study aimed to evaluate at bench-scale the removal of microcystin-LR from water for public supply using Fenton's reagent, coagulation, flocculation, sedimentation and filtration by columns of granular activated carbon (GAC). The water used in this study was prepared by adding 20 mL of microcystin-LR extract (obtained from a pure culture of Microcystis aeruginosa after three consecutive freeze / thaw cycles), in 1L of untreated water from the Acauã reservoir and which corresponded to a concentration of microcystin-LR of aproximately 19 µg.L . The experiments were conducted in three stages. The first step was to determine the best conditions for coagulation obtained via diagrams of coagulation based on remaining turbidity and apparent colour after treatment with Fenton's reagent at concentrations between 5 mg.L-1 and 100 mg.L-1 f eSO4.7H2O and 1.83 mg.L-1 to 36.70 mg.L of H2O and pH varying between 3 and 9 at a settling time of 5 min. In the second stage the fastest sedimentation time was determined after coagulation based on the control parameters of remaining turbidity, apparent colour and microcystin-LR concentration. The third stage evaluated the adsorption of microcystin-LR in columns of GAC (particle size between 1.40 mm and 0.42 mm) after the conditions defined in steps I and II. The GAC columns were constructed from PVC tubing with an internal diameter of 21 mm and a functional height of GAC of 15 cm and 20 cm, corresponding to two different contact times. The fixed flow rate for each GAC column was 2 L.h2-1. The optimum conditions for coagulation were 15 mg.L FeSO4.7H2O and 5.5 g.L-1 H2O, at pH 8.4 and coagulation and sedimentation times of 15 min. After coagulation, flocculation and sedimentation turbidity decreased from 5.8 to 3.0 uT, apparent color of 115 uH to 81 uH and a reduction in microcystinLR concentration from 18.52 µg.L2-1 to 9.59 µg.L-1, with percentage removals of 48%, 30% and 48%, respectively. Break-through occurred in the shorter length column of GAC with the shorter contact time (CC1) after 2 hours of operation, resulting in a smaller q e (1.85 μg.g-1) and higher usage rate (3.82 g.L-1) compared o the GAC column with the greater contact time (CC2), with a break-through after 6 hours operation. Thus the longer GAC column (CC2) gave a better performance both in terms of q e (4.15 μg.g-1) and rate of use (1.70 g.L-1), ensuring effluent oncentration below the maximum allowable value of 1 µg.L-1 required by Ordinance 2914/11, Ministry of Health, with a longer operational life and an economy in GAC usage.