Boron contamination in drinking-irrigation water and boron removal methods

Abstract

Boron presents in IIIA group of periodic table and has high ionization capacity. Therefore it is classified as a metalloid. Average boron concentration in earth's crust is 10 mg/kg. It presents in the environment as a salts of Ca, Na, and Mg. Boron reserves having high concentration and economical extent are found mostly in Turkey and in arid, volcanic and high hydrothermal activity regions of U.S. as compounds of boron attached to oxygen. Boron is an essential micronutrient for plants, although it may be toxic at higher levels. The range in which it is converted from a nutrient to a contaminant is quite narrow. Boron presents in water environment as a boric acid and rarely borate salts. The main boron sources, whose presence is detected in surface waters, are urban wastes and industrial wastes, which can come from a wide range of different activities as well as several chemical products used in agriculture. In Turkey, the most pollutant toxic element in drinking and irrigation water is boron. Therefore boron removal is very important in terms of human health and agricultural products in high quality. Mainly boron removal methods from drinking water and irrigation water are ion exchange, ultrafiltration, reverse osmosis, and adsorption.