Water Resources Research Act Program

Details for Project ID 2018RI135B

Assessment of Ferrate for Treating Drinking Water Sources Impacted by Harmful Algal Blooms

Institute: Rhode Island
Year Established: 2018 Start Date: 2018-03-01 End Date: 2019-02-28
Total Federal Funds: $21,127 Total Non-Federal Funds: $47,198

Principal Investigators: Joseph Goodwill

Abstract: The production of algae in surface waters is a major threat to water quality, aquatic ecosystems, and public health, especially when these surface waters serve as sources of municipal drinking water. In Rhode Island, numerous harmful algal blooms (HABs) were reported in 2016 and 2017 including surface waters that are sources of drinking water to local municipalities. A common option for treating algae in a drinking water context is preoxidation. Ferrate (Fe(VI)) is emerging as an alternative to ozone and permanganate preoxidation due to several major advantages. However, data related to Fe(VI) and HABs is relatively scant, and so its potential use is poorly informed. The overarching objective of this proposal is to gain a better understanding of the use of ferrate oxidation for HAB mitigation, and build towards its potential use as an intermittent solution to risk reduction due to HABs in RI surface water systems. By comparing ferrate to published results of other oxidants, results from this work will also build a guidance framework for other water systems for oxidative treatment of HABs.