Hundreds of water utilities using chloramines experience
problems with nitrification, including loss of
total chlorine residual, destruction of free ammonia,
increases in nitrite concentration, and potential bacteriological
problems. An effective and reliable nitrification
control strategy can help eliminate these concerns and
make the use of chloramines simpler than it has been in
the past.
For utility managers looking for cost-effective ways
to control nitrification, this article offers a promising
method, application of sodium chlorite. Results of a
six-month pilot study in Tucson, Arizona, demonstrated
that continuous feed of chlorite ion was effective at
controlling nitrification even at concentrations as low
as 0.1 mg/L.
Until now, no widely usable control method was
available to control nitrification. Each utility had to
handcraft its own individual solution. Although the
cost of sodium chlorite is relatively high compared with
other water treatment chemicals, the small doses
needed to control nitrification make the cost of this
chemical more reasonable.
Many water providers using chloramines are all too
familiar with the extensive maintenance and sampling
costs associated with uncontrolled nitrification, as well
as the loss of confidence that can arise from a Total
Coliform Rule violation or a boil water advisory. In
comparison with these kinds of costs, the expense of
sodium chlorite and chemical feed systems may seem a
bargain. Includes 18 references, tables, figures.
| Edition : | Vol. 98 - No. 1 |
| File Size : | 1
file
, 380 KB |
| Note : | This product is unavailable in Ukraine, Russia, Belarus |
| Number of Pages : | 11 |
| Published : | 01/01/2006 |
