Water Treatment Methods
There are four common types of contaminants that are generally found in water.
Bacteria
Bacteria are a group of microorganism that are found in plants, soil and water. Most of the bacteria are harmless but some of them can cause sickness and dis3ase in humans. The most common of these are vilified bacteria which are present in intestines of warm feces and can caus3 diseases such as cramps, vomiting, diarrhea and intestinal infection.
Minerals
Minerals are inorganic substances found in rocks and similar matter in the earth. Some minerals such as calcium, magnesium and potassium are considered good for humans and some such as lead, arsenic, and aluminum we considered harmful. Water is not a table source of minerals as it contains a mix of both types of minerals. The human body cannot absorb the minerals very well. The level of minerals dissolved in water determines it's hardness.
Particulates
Particulates are minute particles of dirt, sand, rust and sediment found in water. Particulates themselves do not adversely affect health but they are carriers of other harmful contaminants in water : organic, inorganic and microbiological .particulates are measured in microns where one micron is oneillionth of a meter.
Chemicals
Chemicals contaminants can be natural or man-made. They enter water through pollution, industrial discharge, urban activities, agriculture and disposal of waste. These undesirable contaminants include toxic metal salts, nitrogen, bleach, pesticides, fertilizers, human and animal drugs.
The presence of these contaminants makes water treatment very important. There methods involve removal of contaminants from water to make it safe for human consumption without any risk of unfavorable effects on health.
Water treatment is done at two levels :
Community water treatment
Public drinking water system use surface water treatment plants to provide safe drinking water to people.
Domestic water treatment
Individuals use home treatment units such as filters, water softeners and distillation systems to remove specific contaminants, to improve the taste of water and as precaution against disease.
Water treatment methodsbuse different types of agents to make safe for drinking purpose. Water treatment agents can be divided into three categories
Sediment Filter
There are four common types of contaminants that are generally found in water.
Bacteria
Bacteria are a group of microorganism that are found in plants, soil and water. Most of the bacteria are harmless but some of them can cause sickness and dis3ase in humans. The most common of these are vilified bacteria which are present in intestines of warm feces and can caus3 diseases such as cramps, vomiting, diarrhea and intestinal infection.
Minerals
Minerals are inorganic substances found in rocks and similar matter in the earth. Some minerals such as calcium, magnesium and potassium are considered good for humans and some such as lead, arsenic, and aluminum we considered harmful. Water is not a table source of minerals as it contains a mix of both types of minerals. The human body cannot absorb the minerals very well. The level of minerals dissolved in water determines it's hardness.
Particulates
Particulates are minute particles of dirt, sand, rust and sediment found in water. Particulates themselves do not adversely affect health but they are carriers of other harmful contaminants in water : organic, inorganic and microbiological .particulates are measured in microns where one micron is oneillionth of a meter.
Chemicals
Chemicals contaminants can be natural or man-made. They enter water through pollution, industrial discharge, urban activities, agriculture and disposal of waste. These undesirable contaminants include toxic metal salts, nitrogen, bleach, pesticides, fertilizers, human and animal drugs.
The presence of these contaminants makes water treatment very important. There methods involve removal of contaminants from water to make it safe for human consumption without any risk of unfavorable effects on health.
Water treatment is done at two levels :
Community water treatment
Public drinking water system use surface water treatment plants to provide safe drinking water to people.
Domestic water treatment
Individuals use home treatment units such as filters, water softeners and distillation systems to remove specific contaminants, to improve the taste of water and as precaution against disease.
Water treatment methodsbuse different types of agents to make safe for drinking purpose. Water treatment agents can be divided into three categories
Water treatment
agents
Chemicals Filters Purifiers
Chemicals
A variety of chemicals are used in the process of water treatment for the purpose of desalination and stoppage of fouling and scaling. The three most commonly used chemicals are chlorine, chlorine dioxide and ozone. They are used as disinfectants to kill unwanted microorganism present in water and improve the taste, odor and clarity of water.
Filters
Filters purify water by removing impurities from it and reducing it's contamination. The filtration process consists of making water flow over some type of filter which blocks the route of the contaminants. The filter can be a physical barrier, chemical process or a biological process. There are main type of filters.
Sediment. Carbon block
Fiter. filter
TFC/TFM Inline carbon
membrane. filter
Sentiment filter renmove suspended particulate matter such as send, dirt, silt and organic matter from water. Water flows from the outside to the core of the filter and the impurities are retained on the filter surface. They, however, do not remove contaminants such as chlorine, lead, mercury and other organic compounds dissolved in water.
Carbon Block Filter
Activated carbon block filters are used to remove contaminants such as chlorine, benzene, which enhances the surface area as well as the ability of absorption of the filter.
TFC/TFM membrane
TFC/TFM are semi-permeable membranes used in the reverse osmosis (RO) water purification systems. Untreated water is forced through the membranes which act like a strainer and allow pure water to pass through leaving the dissolved contaminants be hind
Inline Carbon Filter
Carbon filters can also be installed in-line as apart of the reverse osmosis water purification system. They are used as pre-treatment to safeguard other water treatment units, such as TFC/TFM membranes, from any damage due to organic fouling or oxidation.
Purifiers
Water purifier remove contaminants such as excess salts, suspended particles and microbes dissolved in water and preserve it's necessary vitamins and minerals.
The difference between water filters and purifiers is the type of impurities removed by each one of them.
The following figure lists the main differences between the two:
Water filters
⬇️
Eliminate or minimize impurities such as dissolved salts and heavy metals
⬇️
Filters work like a strainer and prevent unwanted elements from entering
⬇️
Cannot remove viruses from water
Water purifiers
⬇️
Eliminate contaminants such as bacteria and viruses present in water
⬇️
Kills and removes unwanted elements from water
⬇️
Removes even essential minerals from water
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