[ Efectividad de la Zeolita natural, para durezas en aguas subterráneas, en el cantón Milagro del Guayas ]
Mario Marquez1, Karina Subia2, Diego Ramirez3, and Juan Triviño4
1 Carrera de Ingeniería Civil, Universidad de Guayaquil, Guayaquil, Guayas, Ecuador
2 Carrera de Ingeniería Civil, Universidad de Guayaquil, Guayaquil, Guayas, Ecuador
3 Carrera de Ingeniería Civil, Universidad de Guayaquil, Guayaquil, Guayas, Ecuador
4 Carrera de Odontología, Universidad de Guayaquil, Guayaquil, Guayas, Ecuador
Original language: Spanish
Copyright © 2026 ISSR Journals. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Zeolite is an abundant porous mineral found on the Earth's surface in Ecuador due to volcanic activity in the soil. Natural mordenite (Z.A.) can be used as an adsorption agent in wastewater and groundwater containing hardness, composed of dissolved salts that increase conductivity as well as total dissolved solids (TDS). This study demonstrates its effectiveness in improving water quality for general use and potentially for consumption in groundwater from a facility located in the Milagro Canton, Guayas Province. Three unfiltered well-water samples from the facility and five samples filtered through a previously constructed aquarium-type filter were analyzed. The samples were tested for pH, conductivity, hardness, fecal coliforms, and initial TDS levels for comparison purposes. The results showed that the unfiltered samples had hardness levels of 340 mg/L, 355 mg/L, and 360 mg/L, respectively, with a maximum conductivity of 780 µS/cm. In contrast, the filtered samples exhibited a significant reduction, reaching a maximum hardness of 240 mg/L and a conductivity of 653 µS/cm, representing an average efficiency of 29%.
Author Keywords: Zeolite (Z.A.) efficiency, groundwater use efficiency.
Mario Marquez1, Karina Subia2, Diego Ramirez3, and Juan Triviño4
1 Carrera de Ingeniería Civil, Universidad de Guayaquil, Guayaquil, Guayas, Ecuador
2 Carrera de Ingeniería Civil, Universidad de Guayaquil, Guayaquil, Guayas, Ecuador
3 Carrera de Ingeniería Civil, Universidad de Guayaquil, Guayaquil, Guayas, Ecuador
4 Carrera de Odontología, Universidad de Guayaquil, Guayaquil, Guayas, Ecuador
Original language: Spanish
Copyright © 2026 ISSR Journals. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Abstract
Zeolite is an abundant porous mineral found on the Earth's surface in Ecuador due to volcanic activity in the soil. Natural mordenite (Z.A.) can be used as an adsorption agent in wastewater and groundwater containing hardness, composed of dissolved salts that increase conductivity as well as total dissolved solids (TDS). This study demonstrates its effectiveness in improving water quality for general use and potentially for consumption in groundwater from a facility located in the Milagro Canton, Guayas Province. Three unfiltered well-water samples from the facility and five samples filtered through a previously constructed aquarium-type filter were analyzed. The samples were tested for pH, conductivity, hardness, fecal coliforms, and initial TDS levels for comparison purposes. The results showed that the unfiltered samples had hardness levels of 340 mg/L, 355 mg/L, and 360 mg/L, respectively, with a maximum conductivity of 780 µS/cm. In contrast, the filtered samples exhibited a significant reduction, reaching a maximum hardness of 240 mg/L and a conductivity of 653 µS/cm, representing an average efficiency of 29%.
Author Keywords: Zeolite (Z.A.) efficiency, groundwater use efficiency.
Abstract: (spanish)
RESUMEN: La zeolita es un mineral poroso abundante que se encuentra en la superficie terrestre ecuatoriana debido a la actividad volcánica en los suelos. La mordenita natural (Z.A) puede ser utilizada como un agente de adsorción en aguas residuales y aguas subterráneas que contienen dureza, compuestas de sales disueltas que aumentan la conductividad, así como los sólidos disueltos totales (TDS). Este estudio demuestra su eficacia en la mejora de la calidad del agua para uso general y posiblemente para consumo en aguas subterráneas de una instalación en el cantón Milagros de la provincia del Guayas. Se analizaron tres muestras sin filtrar de pozos en la instalación y cinco filtradas con un filtro de pecera previamente construido. Las muestras se analizaron para pH, conductividad, dureza, coliformes fecales y niveles previos de TDS para su comparación. Los resultados mostraron que las muestras sin filtrar tenían niveles de dureza de 340 mg/L, 355 mg/L y 360 mg/L, con una conductividad máxima de 780 µS/cm, respectivamente; Mientras que las muestras filtradas mostraron una reducción significativa hasta una dureza máxima de 240 mg/L, con una conductividad de 653 µS/cm, representando una eficiencia promedio del 29%.
Author Keywords: eficiencia de (Z.A), eficiencia de uso de aguas subterráneas.
