Experimental studies of iron transformations kinetics and autocatalysis during its physicochemical removal from underground water

Abstract

Abstract The mathematical model of physicochemical iron removal from groundwater was developed. It consists of three interrelated compartments. The results of the experimental research provide information in support of the first two compartments of the mathematical model. The dependencies for the concentrations of the adsorbed ferrous iron and deposited hydroxide concentrations are obtained as a result of the exact solution of the system of the mass transfer equations for two forms of iron in relation to the inlet surface of the bed. An analysis of the experimental data of the dynamics of the deposit accumulation in a small bed sample was made, using a special application that allowed selection of the values of the kinetic coefficients and other model parameters based on these dependencies. We evaluated the autocatalytic effect on the dynamics of iron ferrous and ferric forms. The verification of the mathematical model was carried out involving the experimental data obtained under laboratory and industrial conditions.