Review on river bank filtration as an in situ water treatment process

Surface and ground water are valuable sources for drinking water. Certain industrial, mining, and agricultural practices pollute these critical resources. Riverbank filtration (RBF) is a cost-effective in situ water treatment process, which removes suspended solids and organic and inorganic pollutants. The RBF process is defined as a natural filter of soils and aquifer sediments at the river site. In RBF, river water moves through the pores of the natural soils of the riverbed and riverbank. RBF improves several physical, chemical, and biological properties of the river water. Several treatment actions including, filtration, sorption, and biological degradation occur during this process. Under specific conditions, RBF could be used as a treatment or pretreatment process to remove or decrease pollutants in surface water. In this paper, the effectiveness of RBF in improving the river water quality is presented. RBF as a cost-effective water treatment process is also discussed. Furthermore, factors that affect the performance of the RBF process and its overall effectiveness for developing countries are also discussed.