Water Treatment Using Metallic Iron: A Tutorial Review

New regulations pursuant to The Drinking Water Safety Act, administered by the Office of Drinking Water, resulted in changes to the approval, licensing, monitoring, record-keeping and reporting requirements for drinking water systems in Manitoba. It is recognized that many small drinking water systems may not have the same level of access to technical services and resources as larger public water systems. This manual of best practices (a comprehensive, integrated and co-operative approach to continuous improvement of all facets of operations for delivering superior standards of performance) is to assist small drinking water systems with regulatory, management and operational challenges.

This paper aims at analyzing the drinking water issue in the Mediterranean region, highlighting the principal problems and the appropriate technologies applicable in the different countries. The countries of this area are characterized by a huge variety from social, cultural, economic and environmental point of view. In particular, water distribution is inhomogeneous between the North, East, and South; even the type of water sources and the related quantity and quality problems differ country by country. Potable water comes from brackish and seawater, surface water, groundwater and water reservoirs with each source face different issues. The main problem of brackish and seawater for example is the high salinity and the contamination by disinfection byproducts, in addition to the microbiological and chemical contamination due to human activities that characterize also other surface water sources. Groundwater is also affected by human activity and it is not exempted from salinity because of the water intrusion. Moreover, water reservoirs are often contaminated by seasonal algal blooms. Technologies applied for drinking water treatment vary country by country. The paper presents the main treatment processes associated with the main water pollutants, according to the Mediterranean region. Case studies of drinking water treatment plants are also analyzed, presenting alternative technologies appropriate for specific contexts, among others. The characteristics of each specific context should be carefully analyzed in order to develop the most appropriate technologies; high-end technologies for drinking water treatment may not be applied equally to all countries or communities of the Mediterranean region.