Hi Caroline, I'm a bit late ...

Hi Caroline,

I'm a bit late to the party here but hopefully can provide some helpful advice.

Its hard to give you a definitive answer based on price without a bit more detail on your application and knowing the cost of materials and labour where your project is located.

Also 'best' and 'cheapest' don't often go hand in hand :-)

Oxidation should be sufficient to render the iron and manganese insoluble so that they can then be filtered out. Chlorine is typically used for this application because it works and is generally inexpensive. You might be able to reduce costs further by aerating prior to chlorination as aeration is sufficient to oxidise iron, but not manganese (recommended if you have very high iron but low manganese). All of the above is of course determinant on the pH of your water. Also note that if your colour and turbidity are very high, this might increase the amount of chlorine that you require. In this case the 'best' AND 'cheapest' option might include filtration prior to oxidation (followed by another filtration step to remove iron and manganese).

Typically a sand filter should be sufficient to remove the precipitated iron and manganese to an appropriate level, however, if your target levels are VERY low you may require more advanced filtration methods.

I have used many methods to achieve iron, manganese and arsenic removal in the past. One product I have had a lot of success with was a type of catalytic oxidative media. It acts as both the oxidant and filter in a single step and should be able to address you iron, manganese, colour and turbidity issues.

I don't sell the product but I have quite a bit of experience with it and would be happy to put you in touch with a suppler.

Best of luck!