Removal of Boron and Arsenic from Geothermal Water in Kyushu Island, Japan, by Using Selective Ion Exchange Resins

Abstract

Batch and column mode tests were carried out to evaluate the efficiency of boron and arsenic removal from geothermal water in Kyushu Island, Japan by an ion exchange method. The geothermal water contained 34.0 mg-B/L and 3.23 mg-As/L. The sorption tests were performed using boron selective ion exchange resins (Lewatit MK 51 and Diaion CRB 03) and arsenic selective ion exchange resins (Lewatit FO 36, ArsenXnp). The optimum concentration of resin for boron removal from geothermal water was determined as 5.0 g/L-geothermal water for both Lewatit MK 51 and Diaion CRB 03 resins. On the other hand, Diaion CRB 03 performed better than Lewatit MK 51 during the column-mode study. For arsenic removal, the optimum resin amount was found as 6.0 g/L-geothermal water for both Lewatit FO 36 and ArsenXnp resins. It was observed that Lewatit FO 36 was more effective than ArsenXnp for the removal of As from geothermal water.