Remove Iron and Manganese from Water

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Manganese and iron (especially the latter) produce problems that may be of various types and may be due to various causes. Many types of treatment are effective for the removal of iron and manganese from water, but not all methods are equally effective under all conditions.

Generally speaking, there are three basic methods of treating water containing these two contaminants. These are:

These methods are appropriate for use in treating waters that have an essentially neutral pH. Where waters are acid, the following is an especially useful technique:

• Oxidation and filtration
• Feed an oxidizing agent plus

All the methods of treatment to be described are for the treatment of iron problems in raw water. Not included in this discussion are corrosion control techniques for the elimination of iron problems beyond the point of treatment. The same methods apply equally to the control of manganese problems. The type and amount of iron in a water supply may vary considerably. Further, the presence of other water problems has to be taken into account.

Much depends on the source of an iron problem plus the design and flow variables of equipment used for treatment. All of the techniques mentioned up to this point are designed to treat iron in waters that have an essentially neutral pH, with the exception of the polyphosphates, which are effective in the pH range of 5.0 to 8.0.

Where waters are acid, the following methods of treatment are recommended: The use of an ion exchange softener is acceptable if the iron content is low and the water is not too acid. Larger amounts of iron and acidity call for the use of a solution feeding device and a filter.

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