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The Importance of Water Treatment Technology May 10, 2017

The Importance of Water Treatment Technology

Do you want to know the purpose of water treatment systems? Are you interested in finding out about water treatment technologies?

If the above has got you interested then continue reading…

Let’s start by recognising the agents that can contaminate water:

  • Pathogens – disease-causing organisms that include bacteria, amoebas and viruses, as well as the eggs and larvae of parasitic worms.
  • Harmful chemicals from human activities (industrial wastes, pesticides, fertilizers).
  • Chemicals and minerals from the natural environment, such as arsenic, common salt and fluorides. Some non-harmful contaminants may influence the taste, smell, colour or temperature of water, and make it unacceptable to the community.

We know very well that clean, safe water is vital for every day life. Water is essential for health, hygiene and the productivity of our community.  We also know that the water we drink and use is treated but do we know what water treatment is and what water technologies are?

Why is water treatment system important?

Water treatment is the process for enhancing the quality of water so that it meets the water quality criteria for its fitness for the intended use after having been chemically or biological polluted.   Treated water has great importance in industrial applications as well as safe drinking.

Untreated water is a great threat to human health, industrial processes as well as the environment. Treated water saves industrial equipment and water supply lines from corrosion.

Water treatment is divided into four categories:

  • Sedimentation
  • Filtration
  • Chemicals
  • Oxidation

There are five types of contaminants that are found in water, particulates, bacteria, minerals, chemicals, and pharmaceuticals. Methods to remove these elements range from simple and inexpensive to elaborate and costly. Often to achieve purely potable water, several technologies must be combined in a particular sequence.

See below for more information on water treatment technologies:

Sedimentation is the processes of letting suspended material settle by gravity. Suspended material may be particles, such as clay or silts, originally present in the source water. Suspended material or floc is typically created from materials in the water and chemicals used in coagulation or, in other treatment processes, such as lime softening.

Sedimentation is accomplished by decreasing the velocity of the water to a point which the particles will no longer remain in suspension. When the velocity no longer supports the particles, gravity will remove them from the water flow

Filtration is any of various mechanical, physical or biological operations that separate solids from fluids (liquids or gases) by adding a medium through which only the fluid can pass.  In water treatment, undesirable constituents are removed by absorption into a biological film grown on or in the filter medium, as in slow sand filtration.

Chemical processes such as flocculation and chlorination and the use of electromagnetic radiation such as ultraviolet light.

Oxidation or Advanced Oxidation Processes (AOPs) are efficient methods to remove organic contamination not degradable by means of biological processes. AOPs are a set of processes involving the production of very reactive oxygen species able to destroy a wide range of organic compounds. AOPs are driven by external energy sources such as electric power, ultraviolet radiation (UV) or solar light, so these processes are often more expensive than conventional biological wastewater treatment. Moreover, AOPs can be applied for the disinfection of water, air and for remediation of contaminated soils.

To find out more book on to our Water Treatment Systems training Course.

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