REMOVAL OF NATURAL ORGANIC MATTER IN WATER FOR HUMAN CONSUMPTION BY HOMOGENEOUS FENTON PROCESS

The presence of natural organic matter (NOM) in natural waters impairs the performance of water treatment plants, the effectiveness of the disinfection process and biological stability. Consequently, loss of drinking water quality may occur due to the formation of disinfection by-products; increased color, odor and taste; and biological growth in the reservation and distribution systems. Thus, there is a need to study technological alternatives to obtain potable water for public supply, meeting drinking standards. Among the promising technological alternatives are the advanced oxidative processes, which involve the formation of highly reactive hydroxyl radicals (center dot OH), which degrade the organic molecules present in contaminated waters. The aim of this research was to study the application of the homogeneous Fenton process in the removal of humic acid. Several assays were performed by adding pre-determined amounts of ferrous sulfate and hydrogen peroxide in a solution of 30 mg/L of humic acid. The concentrations of humic acid obtained after the experiments were determined by measuring the absorbance at 254 nm. In the experiments carried out, using half of the stoichiometric concentrations of Fe2+ and H202, there was a significant removal of the organic matter in the initial four minutes, around 88%.