Scientists at Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University (SPbPU) have created a new device that may potentially replace the process of water disinfection using chlorine. The new technology produces a unique reagent of sodium ferrate.
Unlike water chlorination, the use of sodium ferrate as a disinfecting reagent does not form toxic substances throughout the process of purification. In addition to this, researchers believe this new process could potentially reduce the cost of water treatment processes.
“To disinfect one liter of drinking water in summer, only 0.5 grams of sodium ferrate is required, compared with 4.5 grams of chlorine,” said researcher Ani Petkova. “In the cold season, 0.2 grams of ferrate is needed, compared with two grams of chlorine,” This could potentially reduce the needed reagent dose by 10 times.
The disinfecting reagent can be used for diverse purposes, as well, as it will be able to effectively prepare drinking water and treat industrial and domestic wastewater. Such a process would also be useful in emergency circumstances when water supplies may be cut off.
“For such situations, a mobile unit can be developed that produces a ferrate at the site,” said Petkova.