Water treatment

Water treatment describes those processes used to make water more acceptable for
a desired enduse. These can include use as drinking water, industrial processes
, medical and many other uses. The goal of all water treatment process is to rem
ove existing contaminants in the water, or reduce the concentration of such cont
aminants so the water becomes fit for its desired end-use. One such use is retur
ning water that has been used back into the natural environment without adverse
ecological impact.
The processes involved in treating water for drinking purpose may be solids sepa
ration using physical such as settling and filtration, chemical such as disinfec
tion and coagulation.
Biological processes are also employed in the treatment of wastewater and these
processes may include, for example, aerated lagoons, activated sludge or slow sa
nd filters.
A sewage treatment plant in northern Portugal.
Potable water purification Water purification is the removal of contaminants fro
m untreated water to produce drinking water that is pure enough for its intended
use, most commonly human consumption. Substances that are removed during the pr
ocess of drinking water treatment include bacteria, algae, viruses, fungi, miner
als such as iron, manganese and sulphur, and man-made chemical pollutants includ
ing fertilisers.
It is important to take measures to make available water of desirable quality at
the consumer end. That leads to protection of the treated water during conveyan
ce and distribution after treatment. It is common practice to have residual disi
nfectants in the treated water in order to kill any bacteriological contaminatio
n after water treatment.
World Health Organisation (WHO) guidelines are generally followed throughout the
world for drinking water quality requirements. In addition of the WHO guideline
s, each country or territory or water supply body can have their own guidelines
in order for consumers to have access to safe drinking water.
Abandoned Water Purification Plant Springfield, Tennessee
Various Processes Used in Drinking Water Treatment
The combination of following processes is used for municipal drinking water trea
tment worldwide Pre-chlorination - for algae control and arresting any biologica
l growth Aeration - along with pre-chlorination for removal of dissolved iron an
d manganese Coagulation - for flocculation Coagulant aids also known as polyelec
trolytes - to improve coagulation and for thicker floc formation Sedimentation -
for solids separation, that is, removal of suspended solids entrapped in the fl
oc Filtration - for removal of carried over floc Disinfection - for killing the
becteria
Various technologies & chemicals are developed and are being developed continuou
sly by various organisations to deliver the above mentioned processes.
There is no unique solution (selection of processes) for any type of water. Also
, it is very difficult to standardise the solution in the form of processes for
water from different sources. Treatability studies for each source of water in d
ifferent seasons need to be carried out to arrive at most appropriate processes.
Sewage treatment Sewage treatment is the process that removes the majority of th
e contaminants from wastewater or sewage and produces both a liquid effluent sui
table for disposal to the natural environment and a sludge. To be effective, sew
age must be conveyed to a treatment plant by appropriate pipes and infrastructur
e and the process itself must be subject to regulation and controls. Some wastew
aters require different and sometimes specialized treatment methods. At the simp
lest level, treatment of sewage and most wastewaters is carried out through sepa
ration of solids from liquids, usually by settlement. By progressively convertin
g dissolved material into solids, usually a biological floc which is then settle
d out, an effluent stream of increasing purity is produced.
The important need for water treatment in developing countries
As of 2006, waterborne diseases are estimated to cause 1.8 million deaths each y
ear. These deaths are attributable to inadequate public sanitation systems and i
t is clear that proper sewerage (or other options as small-scale water treatment
) need to be installed.
Appropriate technology options in water treatment include both community-scale a
nd household-scale point-of-use (POU) designs.
In order for the decrease of waterborne diseases to have long term effects, wate
r treatment programs implemented by research and development groups in developin
g countries must be sustainable by its own residents. This can ensure the effici
ency of such programs after the departure of the research team as monitoring is
difficult because of the remoteness of many locations.
Agricultural wastewater treatment Agricultural wastewater treatment relates to t
he treatment of wastewaters produced in the course of agricultural activities. A
griculture is a highly intensified industry in many parts of the world, producin
g a range of wastewaters requiring a variety treatment technologies and manageme
nt practices.
Treatment
Whilst solid manure heaps outdoors can give rise to polluting wastewaters from r
unoff, this type of waste is usually relatively easy to treat by containment and
/or covering of the heap.
Animal slurries require special handling and are usually treated by containment
in lagoons before disposal by spray or trickle application to grassland. Constru
cted wetlands are sometimes used to facilitate treatment of animal wastes, as ar
e anaerobic lagoons. Excessive application or application to
sodden land or insufficient land area can result in direct runoff to watercourse
s with the potential for causing severe pollution. Application of slurries to la
nd overlying aquifers can result in direct contamination or, more commonly, elev
ation of nitrogen levels as nitrite or nitrate.
The disposal of any wastewater containing animal waste upstream of a drinking wa
ter intake can pose serious health problems to those drinking the water because
of the highly resistant spores present in many animals that are capable of causi
ng disabling in humans. This risk exists even for very low level seepage via sha
llow surface drains or from rainfall run-off.
Some animal slurries are treated by mixing with straws and composted at high tem
perature to produce a bacteriologically sterile and friable manure for soil impr
ovement.
Industrial wastewater treatment Industrial wastewater treatment covers the mecha
nisms and processes used to treat waters that have been contaminated in some way
by anthropogenic industrial or commercial activities prior to its release into
the environment or its re-use.
Most industries produce some wet waste although recent trends in the developed w
orld have been to minimise such production or recycle such waste within the prod
uction process. However, many industries remain dependent on processes that prod
uce wastewaters.
Water treatment Water treatment for the production of drinking water is dealt wi
th elsewhere. (See water purification.) Many industries have a need to treat wat
er to obtain very high quality water for demanding purposes. Water treatment pro
duces organic and mineral sludges from filtration and sedimentation. Ion exchang
e using natural or synthetic resins removes calcium, magnesium and carbonate ion
s from water, replacing them with hydrogen and hydroxyl ions. Regeneration of io
n exchange columns with strong acids and alkalis produces a wastewater rich in h
ardness ions which are readily precipitated out, especially when in admixture wi
th other wastewaters.