Economic Evaluation of Treatment Alternatives for Nitrate-Contaminated Water Supplies

by Mohamed F. Dahab, Univ of Nebraska-Lincoln, United States,



Document Type: Proceeding Paper

Part of: Planning Now for Irrigation and Drainage in the 21st Century

Abstract:

This paper discusses the economic feasibility of removing nitrates from water supplies. Potential nitrate treatment methods include ion exchange, reverse osmosis, bio-denitrification, and electrodialysis. The technical feasibility and economics of these processes indicate that only a few of these processes can be considered practical at the present. Results from bench-scale experiments as well as data from the literature are used to develop a basis of economic comparison. The results indicate that ion exchange is most advantageous when dealing with moderate nitrate contamination situations. However, in extreme contamination cases, bio-denitrification followed by other water purification processes (e.g. filtration) may be an effective method of treatment.

Subject Headings: Water treatment | Water supply | Nitrates | Economic factors | Water pollution | Groundwater pollution | Feasibility studies

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