Overview
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ABSTRACT
Metallic ions and metalloids are found in drinking waters, domestic and industrial wastewater, as well as runoff water. In low doses, these naturally occurring elements do not represent a threat to health or the environment, which is obviously not the case when the dosage becomes massive. Information about sampling, storing and analyzes of metal ions are proposed. The treatment processes: precipitation, coagulation, oxidation, reduction, ion exchange, adsorption, liquid-solid transfer, electrolysis membranes, phytoremediation are presented.
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Read the articleAUTHORS
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Yves ANDRÈS: Professor - IMT Atlantique, Nantes, France
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Catherine FAUR-BRASQUET: Professor - University of Montpellier, France
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Claire GÉRENTE: Senior lecturer – HDR - IMT Atlantique, Nantes, France
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Pierre LE CLOIREC: Professor, Honorary Director of ENSCR - École de Chimie de Rennes, France
INTRODUCTION
Metal ions and metalloids are found in drinking water, domestic and industrial wastewater and runoff. A large number of elements are released into the aquatic environment through leaching from transport routes, as well as from soils which naturally contain metals and metalloids in various forms. It should be noted, however, that these inorganic compounds are necessary to life as trace elements, and their impact on the environment may be low. Nonetheless, as the poison is in the dose, the same cannot be said of massive discharges of high concentrations of metal ions or metalloids into surface waters. Their elimination is necessary from the point of view of human health, or to combat their direct impact on the receiving environment: soil, water, air, and therefore on flora and fauna. The recommendations of the World Health Organization (WHO), legislation via European directives and French decrees are particularly abundant in regulating concentrations in wastewater discharges, but also in water intended for human consumption. These health, environmental and regulatory arguments have led to the implementation of treatments to better control metal and metalloid levels in water. Relying on the physicochemical properties of each species, treatment processes are multiple and combine the use of adjuvants (coagulation, flocculation), adsorbents or ion exchange, oxidants or reducers, as well as membrane barriers, electrolysis and/or the use of plants in phytoremediation.
While this article takes a global approach to the problem of metals and metalloids in water, it also focuses on physicochemical and biological treatment and purification processes.
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The Ultimate Scientific and Technical Reference
KEYWORDS
Processes | Water | metals | Metalloids
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Removal of metal ions and metalloids from water
Bibliography
Standardization
Numerous international and French standards exist for specific assay methods by metallic element or analytical technique. They are constantly evolving, thanks to the development of recent techniques (mercury determination by atomic fluorescence spectrometry in 2002, application of inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) in 2005) and the improvement of older ones (trace element determination by graphite furnace...
Standards and norms
Standards
AFNOR standards
- Dosage de huit éléments métalliques (Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, Ag, Pb) par spectrométrie d'absorption atomique dans la flamme - FD T90-112 - 1998
- Water quality – Chromium determination – Atomic absorption spectrometry - NF EN 1233 - 1996
- Water quality – Mercury determination – Atomic absorption spectrometry (AAS) with and without...
Regulations
The presence of metal ions in water and the determination of their concentration are part of the overall water quality control process
Directory
Organizations – Federations – Associations (non-exhaustive list)
Water agencies :
http://www.lesagencesdeleau.fr/
Adour-Garonne Water Agency :
http://www.eau-adour-garonne.fr/
Loire-Brittany Water Agency...
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