Efficiency of coagulation-flocculation and chlorination processes in the removal of endosulfan from water sources

ABSTRACT

In this study, the efficiency of conventional drinking water treatment processes (coagulation-flocculation and chlorination) for endosulfan removal and metabolite formation were investigated. Taguchi experimental design and analysis of variance (ANOVA) were applied using Minitab program. The highest removal efficiency was obtained as 65% at 6 mg/L initial endosulfan concentration, 30 mg/L aluminium sulfate dose and pH 7, in the coagulation-flocculation experiments. In chlorination experiments, it was determined that the variables of initial endosulfan concentration, chlorine dose, pH and contact time contributed 55.84%, 21.25%, 5.74% and 3.48% to the endosulfan removal, respectively, according to the ANOVA results. The presence of endosulfan metabolites like endosulfan ether, sulfate, and lactone were also detected and measured. P values were obtained only in endosulfan sulfate formation as a result of chlorination, lower than 0.05 for initial endosulfan concentration, chlorine dose and time parameters; apart from this, P values were not statistically significant in all other experiments.

KEYWORDS:

• Endosulfan
• drinking water
• Taguchi experimental design
• chlorination
• coagulation-flocculation

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Author contributions

All authors contributed to the study conception and design. Material preparation, data collection and analysis were performed by Sezen Kucukcongar, Mustafa Yilmaz and Mehmet Turkyilmaz. The first draft of the manuscript was written by Sezen Kucukcongar and all authors commented on previous versions of the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

Data transparency

All data generated or analysed during this study are included in this published article.

Ethics approvals

All authors have read, understood, and have complied as applicable with the statement on ‘Ethical responsibilities of Authors’ as found in the Instructions for Authors and are aware that with minor exceptions, no changes can be made to authorship once the paper is submitted.

Additional information

Funding

This study is financially supported by Konya Technical University Scientific Research Projects Coordinating Office under grant no 18401171.