Use of ferric chloride zeolites in ground water treatment at household level a case study of Kyabalogo Village, Nakisunga Sub-County
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Date
2025-12-11
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Uganda Christian University
Abstract
ABSTRACT
The issue of access to clean drinking water continues to be a great struggle in various
rural locations where the sources of groundwater are becoming more and more polluted
with heavy metals and other inorganic substances. At the same time, heavy metals such
as lead (Pb²⁺) and copper (Cu²⁺) are classified as hazards of the highest order due to their
toxic nature, persistence, and bioaccumulation (Tchobanoglous et al., 2014). A study on
water quality in Kyabalogo Village, Nakisunga Sub-county, Mukono District, Uganda,
indicated the existence of Pb and Cu in the spring water exceeding the tolerable limits
for drinking water. Therefore, the water cannot be used in households without prior
purification.
household level. The current work is focused on the application of natural zeolite as an inexpensive and
effective adsorbent to purify the spring groundwater by removing Pb²⁺ and Cu²⁺ at the
Previous literature shows that divalent heavy metals can be taken away
by zeolites by 80–95% via ion-exchange processes, where the ions of the heavy metals
Pb²⁺ and Cu²⁺ in the solution replace the cations (e.g., Na⁺, K⁺, Ca²⁺) that are in the
zeolite lattice (Misaelides, 2011). The results of this research work are expected to
provide a cheap and an eco-friendly approach solution for the rural water treatment
community. (Wang & Peng, 2010).