A Newly Developed Process for Nitrate Removal from Drinking Water

A newly developed process to remove nitrate from drinking water is discussed. It is concluded that selective electrodialysis is a technically and economically attractive alternative for denitrification of drinking water. A key factor in this respect is the quality and composition of the treated water. The fact that the separation can be done without using chemicals makes this process especially attractive. Because of the composition of the wastewater, it may be treated biologically to eliminate the nitrates, thus making the process comparable to direct biological treatment of the drinking water. Operation and maintenance of an electrodialysis plant is very simple and fully automated, making the process applicable to pumping stations of any size.