Water treatment

Water treatment describes those processes used to make water more acceptable for a desired end-
use. These can include use as drinking water, industrial processes, medical and many other uses. The
goal of all water treatment process is to remove existing contaminants in the water, or reduce the
concentration of such contaminants so the water becomes fit for its desired end-use. One such use is
returning 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 separation using physical
such as settling and filtration, chemical such as disinfection 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 sand filters.

A sewage treatment plant in northern Portugal.

Potable water purification

Water purification is the removal of contaminants from untreated water to produce drinking water
that is pure enough for its intended use, most commonly human consumption. Substances that are
removed during the process of drinking water treatment include bacteria, algae, viruses, fungi,
minerals such as iron, manganese and sulphur, and man-made chemical pollutants including 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 conveyance and distribution after treatment. It is
common practice to have residual disinfectants in the treated water in order to kill any bacteriological
contamination after water treatment.

World Health Organisation (WHO) guidelines are generally followed throughout the world for drinking
water quality requirements. In addition of the WHO guidelines, 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 treatment worldwide -

Pre-chlorination - for algae control and arresting any biological growth

Aeration - along with pre-chlorination for removal of dissolved iron and manganese

Coagulation - for flocculation

Coagulant aids also known as polyelectrolytes - to improve coagulation and for thicker floc formation

Sedimentation - for solids separation, that is, removal of suspended solids entrapped in the floc

Filtration - for removal of carried over floc

Disinfection - for killing the becteria

Various technologies & chemicals are developed and are being developed continuously 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 different seasons need to be carried out to arrive at most appropriate
processes.
Sewage treatment

Sewage treatment is the process that removes the majority of the contaminants from wastewater or
sewage and produces both a liquid effluent suitable for disposal to the natural environment and a
sludge. To be effective, sewage must be conveyed to a treatment plant by appropriate pipes and
infrastructure and the process itself must be subject to regulation and controls. Some wastewaters
require different and sometimes specialized treatment methods. At the simplest level, treatment of
sewage and most wastewaters is carried out through separation of solids from liquids, usually by
settlement. By progressively converting dissolved material into solids, usually a biological floc which is
then settled 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 year. These deaths are
attributable to inadequate public sanitation systems and it 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 and household-scale
point-of-use (POU) designs.

In order for the decrease of waterborne diseases to have long term effects, water treatment programs
implemented by research and development groups in developing countries must be sustainable by its
own residents. This can ensure the efficiency 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 the treatment of wastewaters produced in the course of
agricultural activities. Agriculture is a highly intensified industry in many parts of the world, producing a
range of wastewaters requiring a variety treatment technologies and management practices.

Treatment

Whilst solid manure heaps outdoors can give rise to polluting wastewaters from runoff, 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. Constructed wetlands are sometimes used to
facilitate treatment of animal wastes, as are anaerobic lagoons. Excessive application or application to
sodden land or insufficient land area can result in direct runoff to watercourses with the potential for
causing severe pollution. Application of slurries to land overlying aquifers can result in direct
contamination or, more commonly, elevation of nitrogen levels as nitrite or nitrate.

The disposal of any wastewater containing animal waste upstream of a drinking water 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 causing disabling in humans. This risk exists even for very low level
seepage via shallow surface drains or from rainfall run-off.

Some animal slurries are treated by mixing with straws and composted at high temperature to produce
a bacteriologically sterile and friable manure for soil improvement.

Industrial wastewater treatment

Industrial wastewater treatment covers the mechanisms 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 world have been to
minimise such production or recycle such waste within the production process. However, many
industries remain dependent on processes that produce wastewaters.

Water treatment

Water treatment for the production of drinking water is dealt with elsewhere. (See water purification.)
Many industries have a need to treat water to obtain very high quality water for demanding purposes.
Water treatment produces organic and mineral sludges from filtration and sedimentation. Ion
exchange using natural or synthetic resins removes calcium, magnesium and carbonate ions from
water, replacing them with hydrogen and hydroxyl ions. Regeneration of ion exchange columns with
strong acids and alkalis produces a wastewater rich in hardness ions which are readily precipitated out,
especially when in admixture with other wastewaters.