Chemically enhanced primary treatment of municipal wastewater with ferrate(VI)

Abstract

Chemically enhanced primary treatment (CEPT) with ferrate(VI), a multifunctional treatment agent, was investigated for treatment of municipal wastewater in a laboratory‐scale study. The treatment performance was evaluated at different ferrate(VI) doses (0.0‐9.0 mg/L) and pH (6.0 and 7.5). The optimal removals of total suspended solids (TSS) (52%), total chemical oxygen demand (COD) (34%), and total phosphorus (47%) were achieved at the highest ferrate(VI) dose (9.0 mg/L) and the weakly alkaline condition (pH 7.5). The pollutant abatements principally ascribed to formation of large‐sized aggregate and ensuing sedimentation fell within the reported ranges of CEPT with traditional coagulants. However, different from conventional CEPT, ferrate(VI) appreciably removed recalcitrant dissolved organic phosphorus (49%) and simultaneously inactivated total coliform (3.30 log removal) and E. coli (3.67 log removal) at 9.0 mg/L Fe(VI) and pH 7.5. The CEPT with ferrate(VI) offers an innovative alternative for improving municipal wastewater treatment.