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Updated: Jul 11, 2026

Electrochemically and Bioelectrochemically Induced Ammonium Recovery
Published on: January 22, 2015
Two-stage removal of nitrate from groundwater using biological and chemical treatments
Pudukadu Munusamy Ayyasamy1, Kuppusamy Shanthi, Perumalsamy Lakshmanaperumalsamy
1Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Korea University, 5ka, Anam-Dong, Seoul 136-713, Republic of Korea.
Abstract:
In this study, we attempted to treat groundwater contaminated with nitrate using a two-stage removal system: one is biological treatment using the nitrate-degrading bacteria Pseudomonas sp. RS-7 and the other is chemical treatment using a coagulant. For the biological system, the effect of carbon sources on nitrate removal was first investigated using mineral salt medium (MSM) containing 500 mg l(-1) nitrate to select the most effective carbon source. Among three carbon sources, namely, glucose, starch and cellulose, starch at 1% was found to be the most effective. Thus, starch was used as a representative carbon source for the remaining part of the biological treatment where nitrate removal was carried out for MSM solution and groundwater samples containing 500 mg l(-1) and 460 mg l(-1) nitrate, respectively. About 86% and 89% of nitrate were removed from the MSM solution and groundwater samples, respectively at 72 h. Chemical coagulants such as alum, lime and poly aluminium chloride were tested for the removal of nitrate remaining in the samples. Among the coagulants, lime at 150 mg l(-1) exhibited the highest nitrate removal efficiency with complete disappearance for the MSM solutions. Thus, a combined system of biological and chemical treatments was found to be more effective for the complete removal of nitrate from groundwater.
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