Assessment of crushed-recycled glass as filter media for drinking water treatment

The objective of this project was to evaluate the performance of a pressure filter utilizing crushed glass as the filter media. The performance of the crushed glass filter was compared to that of a sand filter. The research was conducted in Orangedale, Nova Scotia, which is a small community of with a population of approximately 500. Orangedale is located on the south shore of Bras d'Or Lakes and feeds into Miller Pond, which serves as the source the of drinking water. The Orangedale treatment plant produces an average daily flow of 35 m3/d (6.4-gpm). The treatment plant consists of coagulation (sodium aluminate and polyaluminum chloride), flocculation, dissolved air flotation (DAF), disinfection with sodium hypochlorite and dual-media filtration with anthracite and sand. In general, the particle removal capabilities of the crushed glass filter were slightly poorer than that of a sand filter, as quantified in a field application in the community of Orangedale, Nova Scotia. It was found that the crushed glass used in this project had a higher angularity and slightly higher uniformity coefficient. During initial start-up the performance of the crushed glass filter was more variable and appeared to improve as the glass began to wear. After six-months of use the crushed glass filter was able to produce a very consistent filter effluent that was only slightly greater than the silica sand filter. After six-months of use, the sand filter achieved a 1.6 log-removal of particles with diameters greater than 2 μm; whereas the crushed glass filter achieved a 1.4 log removal for the similar particle size range. The observed removal performance was particularly encouraging given that the sand used had properties that were consistent with the standards set by the American Water Works Association. The crushed glass filter media was initially sieved and washed, but had no other pre-treatment preparation. Thus the application of crushed glass shows considerable promise as filter media for the water industry. (author)