Water Treatment

Water Treatment
Introduction
What is water treatment?
Water treatment refers to the process of removing impurities and contaminants from
water to make it safe and clean for human consumption and other uses.
It is used to remove a wide range of contaminants from water, including

bacteria, viruses, algae, fungi, minerals, organic matter, and other pollutants.
Water treatment is used to treat water from various sources, including surface
water, groundwater, and seawater, to make it safe for human consumption,
industrial processes, and other uses.
Water treatment can involve a range of physical, chemical, and biological

processes, depending on the quality of the source water and the desired quality
of the treated water.
Importance of Water Treatment
• Protecting public health: Water treatment helps to remove harmful contaminants and impurities from
water, such as bacteria, viruses, and chemical pollutants, that can cause serious illness or disease in
humans. Water treatment is essential for ensuring that the water we drink, cook with, and use for other
purposes is safe and free from harmful substances.
• Environmental protection: Water treatment helps to protect the environment by removing harmful
pollutants and contaminants from wastewater before it is discharged into rivers, lakes, and other bodies of
water. This helps to prevent environmental damage and protect aquatic life.
• Economic benefits: Water treatment is also important for economic reasons. Access to clean and safe water
is essential for many industries, including agriculture, manufacturing, and energy production. Without
adequate water treatment, these industries would be negatively impacted, leading to economic losses and
potential job losses.
• Sustainable development: Water treatment is also important for achieving sustainable development goals.
Access to clean water is essential for human well-being and economic development, and water treatment
helps to ensure that this resource is available for future generations.
Objectives of water treatment
• Remove contaminants: The main objective of water treatment is to remove contaminants and impurities
from water, including physical, chemical, and biological substances that can be harmful to human health or
the environment. This includes microorganisms such as bacteria, viruses, and parasites, as well as chemical
pollutants such as pesticides, heavy metals, and industrial chemicals.
• Improve water quality: Water treatment also aims to improve the quality of water by removing odors, colors,
and unpleasant tastes. This helps to make treated water more aesthetically pleasing and more palatable for
human consumption.
• Ensure water safety: Water treatment is essential for ensuring that water is safe for human consumption,
cooking, and other uses. By removing harmful contaminants, water treatment helps to prevent the spread of
waterborne diseases and protect public health.
• Protect the environment: Water treatment also helps to protect the environment by removing harmful
pollutants and contaminants from wastewater before it is discharged into rivers, lakes, and other bodies of
water. This helps to prevent environmental damage and protect aquatic life.
• Ensure reliable water supply: Water treatment is also important for ensuring a reliable water supply. By
treating water from various sources, such as rivers, lakes, and groundwater, water treatment helps to ensure
that there is a consistent supply of clean and safe water available for human use
Source Water
Origin and type of impurities
1. Suspended matter
Running water obviously will carry floating debris, but it also has the capacity to pick up and transport solid particles
of greater density than water; the higher the velocity the bigger the particle that can be transported. Rivers are
normally at their most turbid during flood, because of the increased water velocity.
Table 1 indicates the sizes of solids that are transported at different velocities (adapted from Fox, 1949).
2. Colloids
Colloids are fine particles that do not settle and which are electrically charged. The particles have a similar electrical charge,
normally negative, which prevents them from coalescing together to form larger settleable particles. They are invisible to the
naked eye, but can impart colour and turbidity to the water.
3. Dissolved solids
In its passage over or through the ground, water may dissolve a wide variety of chemicals. Common cations are aluminium,
calcium, sodium, potassium, iron, and manganese. Common anions are bicarbonate, chloride, sulfate, and nitrate.
4. Organic pollution
Pollution from organic matter can be serious, particularly for groundwater sources that
receive little treatment. Faecal pollution, whether from animals or humans is of particular
concern, given the risks of disease transmission. The presence of ammonia, nitrates and
nitrites, which are products of decomposition of organic wastes, indicates the possibility of
faecal contamination. The presence of particular indicator bacteria is taken to confirm faecal
contamination.
5. Algae and algal toxins

Algae are relatively slow-growing autotrophic micro-organisms which use nutrients present in water,
carbon dioxide, water itself, and sunlight to grow. They are a problem because they are often difficult
to remove from raw water, and a potential
concern because some species produce toxins. In practice, the concentration of algae present
depends upon the concentration of nutrients in the water, adequate sunlight, temperature, and the
time available for them to grow. Thus, in unpolluted upland rivers, algal concentrations are minimal,
but concentrations are higher in the lower reaches of rivers, where farming and sewage treatment
works have introduced nutrients, particularly at times of low flow when there is less turbidity and a
longer residence time.
6. Microbiological parameters
The greatest short-term threat to human health from drinking water derives from pathogenic micro-
organisms. A prime objective of water treatment is therefore to produce water free from such
organisms. One approach would be to analyse for specific disease-causing organisms. The approach
has therefore been to look for the presence of easily identified bacteria (coliform bacteria, faecal
coliforms) that are known to be present in human faeces, and to treat their presence as an indication
of possible faecal contamination. If these indicator organisms are not present, then the water is
assumed to be free of human pathogens and suitable for human consumption.
7. Hardness
The soluble salts of calcium and magnesium commonly found in water cause hardness.
Hardness forms insoluble precipitates with soap and requires more soap to be used to obtain
lather; it also causes boiler scale. In the past, it was common to soften hard waters. However,
there is a view that soft waters are associated with heart disease and
thus softening is less common now.
8. Iron and manganese
Iron and manganese impart colour, and can lead to staining of washing. Iron may be derived from raw
water or from corrosion of iron water mains. Manganese is derived from raw water. These elements are
common in some groundwaters, and may also occur in water taken from the lower levels of reservoirs.
9. Sulfates, chlorides, bromides and fluorides

If present in excess, the sulfates of magnesium and sodium act as laxatives. Chlorides in concentrations
above 600 mg/l tend to give the water a salty taste. Bromides have only recently become recognised as
a potential raw-water-quality problem; this is because when water-containing bromide is ozonated,
there is a risk of bromates forming, for which the allowable concentration is very low. Fluoride in low
concentrations of approximately 1.0 mgF/l provides protection from tooth decay and fluoride is dosed
in some areas for this reason. However, levels above 1.5 mg/l are undesirable and may affect bones and
cause mottling of teeth.

Water Treatment - Intorduction

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Water Treatment - Intorduction

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It is used to remove a wide range of contaminants from water, including

Water treatment can involve a range of physical, chemical, and biological

5. Algae and algal toxins

9. Sulfates, chlorides, bromides and fluorides

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