The objective of this study was to investigate the ability of polypropylene fibers
to retain a high iron-oxide coating under reasonable washing flow rates during media
development through column studies. High surface area polypropylene fibers were coated with iron-oxide. In column studies,
iron-oxide coated polypropylene geosynthetic fibers were tested under hydraulic flow conditions
to evaluate the ability of the fibers to retain the coating. Experiments were also conducted to
determine its ability to be regenerated physically. The polypropylene mat achieved an iron
density of up to 100 mg Fe/g of material and retained 72% of this coating after being subjected to
hydraulic flows several times the reasonable rate. However, even after washing at 100 bed
volumes, the suspended iron concentration of the effluent water periodically exceeded the
secondary maximum contaminant level (MCL) for iron in drinking water by a small amount.
Further investigation should include systematic exploration of the factors which influence iron
retention and consideration of more polar fibers which may bond more tightly to the iron oxide,
minimizing iron loss in effluent water. Includes 9 references, figures.
| Edition : | Vol. - No. |
| Number of Pages : | 9 |
| Published : | 06/01/2007 |
