An experimental study on release mechanism of iron and manganese from sediments to the water column in reservoirs

Abstract

Iron and manganese accumulation in drinking water reservoirs is a challenging issue and should be controlled to prevent their adverse effects on human health. Accumulation of these elements not only clogs pipeline systems but also causes stains on fixtures and laundry. Also, high concentrations of iron and manganese may lead to various health problems when ingested. This study focuses on the release mechanism of iron and manganese from sediments to the water column in reservoirs and investigates methods to prevent this release. Effects of hypoxia, hypolimnetic aeration, alkalinity of water, and thermal stratification on iron and manganese concentrations were investigated through laboratory experiments. Experiments done simulating the water column showed that hypoxia caused more dissolution of ferrous iron when compared with that of manganese. Accordingly, aeration of the water column in hypoxic conditions lead to a significant decrease in ferrous iron concentrations (in our case reaching zero). However, manganese and total iron levels were not affected by the aeration of the water column. Alkalinity level of the water column was observed to have a great effect on the solubility of iron and manganese. Concentrations of total Fe and total Mn measured for acidic (pH = 5) conditions were considerably greater than concentrations measured at neutral conditions. As for alkaline (pH = 11) conditions, the opposite was observed with measured concentrations of total Fe and total Mn being lower than the ones measured for neutral conditions. Thermal stratification had an enhancing effect on the solubility of both iron and manganese ions. While aeration of the stratified water column slightly decreased the concentrations of Total Fe and Mn, it had a greater impact on decreasing $Fe^{2+}$ concentrations.