REMOVAL OF CHROMIUM FROM WASTE-WATER BY PEAT FILTERS

The effectiveness of Saskatchewan horticultural peat for removing chro mium from the City of Regina wastewater was investigated by using two peat columns each of 100 mm diameter, one column with a 300 mm depth o f peat and the second column with a 500 mm depth of peat. Wastewater c ontaining approximately 0.5 mg/L of dissolved chromium was applied to the columns twice daily for a total loading of 1 litre per day. The pH of the wastewater was between 4.0 and 5.0, and the temperature was 23 +/-1-degrees-C. The columns were operated for a period of approximatel y four weeks. The 300 mm and 500 mm columns were found to produce effl uents containing a mean dissolved chromium concentration of 0.031 mg/L and 0.018 mg/L respectively with removal efficiencies 94.0% and 96.6% respectively. Fully developed break-through curves could not be devel oped for either column within the test period.