Estudio piloto de la remoción de Arsénico de una fuente de agua vertiente de Guayllabamba para ser utilizada como agua de consumo humano

Abstract

This research studies the removal of arsenic at the pilot level, using the principles of coagulation-flocculation (aluminum sulphate), sedimentation and filtration, to enable potential sources of human consumption water contaminated with this metalloid and thus reduce the risk of public health whose population is exposed to water sources with arsenic concentrations outside the limit established by NTE INEN 1108.

The first stage of the project characterized the Guayllabamba slope in terms of physical, chemical and microbiological parameters through titration, gravimetry, spectrophotometry, visual comparison and atomic absorption methods. This source of water initially contains an arsenic concentration in a range from 0.34 mg / L to 0.66 mg / L depending on the time of year.

Subsequently, at the laboratory level, the optimal flocculant operation conditions, mixing time and sedimentation time were obtained by jar test. Once these conditions were determined, a pilot level was escalated and finally the percentage of arsenic removal was evaluated.

The percentage of removal of arsenic at the laboratory and pilot level is 85.71% and 89.29% respectively, fulfilling the arsenic removal at the pilot and laboratory scale with that established in the current NTE INEN 1108.